Creating an Anti-Racist Culture in the Early Years

Book excerpt: At a time of growing evidence of racism across many countries and cultures, Creating an Anti-Racist Culture in the Early Years will help those working with young children recognise racism, name it for what it is and help their young pupils understand that difference is nothing to be feared. Drawing on both personal research and established theory, Smidt includes examples of anti-racist practice from real life and in literature, looks at how racism is acquired and cites examples of people who have spoken or acted against racism through the centuries. She emphasises how and why it is essential to develop multicultural education into anti-racist education and why it’s so important to go beyond the mere celebration of differences in cultures. This indispensable resource also addresses: What racism is and why it is so corrosive How to recognise and challenge it in an early years setting How to work with parents and carers to help them reassess their prejudices or unconscious bias How to create an anti-racist curriculum and culture through inclusion, multiculturalism, literature, art and drama. Creating an Anti-Racist Culture in the Early Years is an indispensable resource for all early years practitioners and students of early childhood education who believe in creating more equitable opportunities for all of our young children.