Classroom Ideas
Educators know the importance of being a lifelong learner, and one of the ways to model this behavior for our students is to take the process of learning about racism seriously. Some 80 percent of teachers in America today are white, whereas their student populations are much more diverse. It’s important teachers educate themselves with antiracism podcasts, books, videos, articles, etc. to best support our students. Below is a list of antiracism podcasts for educators wishing to learn how to be anti-racist and eager to incorporate social justice into their teaching.
1. Teaching Hard History
Many teachers are familiar with the Teaching Tolerance organization, which produces this podcast. Hosted by Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, an Ohio State University professor who specializes in African American history, Teaching Hard History educates listeners about what they should have learned in school and posits that “what we don’t know about American history hurts us all.”
2. Teaching While White
The Teaching While White (TWW) organization critically explores the issues surrounding the fact that 80 percent of teachers in the United States are white. Its tagline is “Where Whiteness Intersects with Antiracist Teaching & Learning,” making it a must for white teachers looking to unpack their whiteness and what it brings to a diverse classroom. The most recent episode explores taking action amidst what it calls the “dual pandemics” of COVID and racism.
3. White Homework
White Homework, hosted by Tori Williams Douglass, promises to teach readers “the non-revised version of American history, and how to leverage privilege to create a more equitable world for all.” A recent episode examines “purity culture and white supremacy” and another looks at ways President Trump is harmful to Black women.
4. The Black Scholars Podcast
The Black Scholars Podcast is for Black and Brown educators looking to hone their teaching craft. It’s also a good place for white educators to listen and learn.
5. Facing Ourselves
Hosted by psychologists Brandy Liebscher and Danielle Beck, Facing Ourselves “provides opportunities for White people to develop greater understanding and responsibility regarding race and racism.” The 14 episodes of Facing Ourselves were produced in 2016 and 2017 but are still thought-provoking antiracism podcasts today.
6. The Leading Equity Podcast
Educators seeking to provide equity in their schools will want to tune into this podcast. Dr. Sheldon L. Eakins hosts Leading Equity, and he knows from experience the issues educators face – he has worked as a teacher, administrator, and special education director. Eakins interviews equity experts about a variety of illuminating topics, most recently focusing on myths surrounding BIPOC in advanced classes.
7. Truth for Teachers
While the purpose of the Truth for Teachers podcast isn’t to explore anti-racism, per se, host Angela Watson certainly tackles the topics of equity and inclusivity regularly, devoting a page on her website to equity resources, which can be found here. New episodes of this podcast are released each Sunday, and Watson’s overarching goal is to “speak life, encouragement, and truth into the minds and hearts of educators.”
8. The Anti-Racist Educator
Run by a group of educators of color in Scotland, the Anti-Racist Educator podcast helps to educate teachers seeking to become more racially conscious. Recent episodes have explored policing in schools and decolonizing curriculum. The podcast hosts view becoming anti-racist as part of being a lifelong learner.
9. Educating While Black
Educating While Black was created by a Black educator for Black educators. Focusing on diverse voices, Black educators are invited into the podcast’s “virtual staff room” to share their stories.
10. 74 Seconds
This podcast, produced in 2018, received a Peabody Award honoring excellence in investigative reporting. 22 episodes cover the shooting death of Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Minnesota, the state’s first police shooting to go to trial. It’s a sobering issue inside the racial inequalities that exist today.
11. Intersectionality Matters
Kimberlé Crenshaw, an expert in critical race theory, hosts this podcast. Episodes are both provocative and current, covering topics such as Black men supporting President Trump and Black women responding to the vice presidential debate featuring Kamala Harris.
12. Come Through with Rebecca Carroll
Billed as “15 essential conversations about race in a pivotal year for America,” Come Through explores how race is pivotal in every major issue this election year. Carroll interviews guests about everything from climate change to healthcare to the media. All 15 podcast episodes are posted online for binge-listening.
13. Natal
Part of being an antiracist educator is listening to Black stories and truly hearing them. The Natal podcast, which is about the experience of having a baby while Black in the United States, is a good place to do this work. The goal of the podcast is to empower Black parenthood by providing an empowering and supportive community.
14. Ear Hustle
Ear Hustle was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for audio reporting in 2020. This antiracism podcast, created in the San Francisco Bay area, shares the stories of inmates in California’s San Quentin State Prison. The podcast features experiences of incarceration as well as life post-incarceration.
15. There Goes the Neighborhood
Gentrification, the process in which the culture of a poor urban neighborhood is changed with the introduction of affluent businesses and homeowners, is the focus of this podcast. Season three, produced in 2019, explores what producers call “climate gentrification,” in which impoverished Black families are pushed to build lives in flood-prone areas.
16. Code Switch
Code Switch by NPR promises “fearless conversations about race.” Journalists of color host the show, but their approach to covering race is one that is candid and one that aims to include everyone in an ongoing dialogue about race.
17. Conscious Anti-Racism
Host Dr. Jill Wener delivers a podcast in which she promises to examine anti-racism “one conversation at a time.” Werner, an internal medicine doctor and meditation expert, brings her holistic approach to interviews with social justice activists.
18. Dark Tank
Hosted by Yedoye Travis, this hilarious and often profanity-ridden podcast invites “melanin deficient guests” (white people) to help solve issues facing minorities. Described as a podcast where “white people try their best,” the podcast promises to solve racism, “one white ego at a time”.
19. Seeing White
This 14-part documentary podcast was released in 2017, and it asks the question, “What is going on with white people?” The podcast delves into white identity politics, exploring where the concept of whiteness comes from and what this means in the battle for racial equality.
20. Speaking of Racism
Speaking of Racism promises an honest and respectful discourse about race. Recent episodes have looked at the criminal justice system and the 2020 election.
21. Yo, Is This Racist? With Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome
Hosted by Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome, this funny and educational podcast invites guests to phone or email with a scenario that might be racist. Topics vary widely from Halloween costumes to high school mascots to fusion food trucks.
22. The Anti-Racism Daily Podcast
Host Nicole Cardoza promises to check in weekly with a look at the most pressing stories in the news cycle surrounding racial politics in our country. This is a brand-new podcast with only two episodes so far, so get in on the ground floor and start listening.
23. Educators for Social Justice
Host Sherita Love celebrates the teachers and students doing social justice work across the country. Listeners will find inspiration and ideas for social justice activities and discussions in their own classrooms.
