All Episodes · Anti-Racism · Learning for Adults · Podcast · Season 2

How You Can Support Anti-racist Educators

First Name Basis Podcast: “How You Can Support Anti-racist Educators”

Anti-racism work is critical to creating the community that we all want, and those of us who have been called to lead this movement are carrying a heavy load. In this episode I share a few ways that you can come alongside anti-racist educators and share that load.

Articles, Studies, & Podcasts Referenced in the Episode

First Name Basis Patreon Community

“Invisible Labor: Valuing the Unseen Contributions of Women” by Julie Hanks

Song credit: “Away” by Geographer and “Beach Disco” by Dougie Wood

Join the conversation on Instagram

Head over to @firstname.basis on Instagram to join the First Name Basis community.

“Is a (fill in the blank) costume cultural appro

“Is a (fill in the blank) costume cultural appropriation?”

“How do I know if the costumes we’ve picked are appropriation?”

“I don’t understand why ______ would be considered cultural appropriation. Can you explain it to me?”

I’ve received dozens of DM’s like these throughout the time I’ve been doing this podcast, and I know it’s because cultural appropriation can be tricky. It’s not black and white, and not everyone agrees on what it looks like. While I wish I could have a conversation with each member of our First Name Basis fam who wants to talk specifics, hopefully these guidelines can help all of us as we’re navigating cultural appropriation on Halloween.

Learn more by listening to “Culture is Not a Costume” on the First Name Basis podcast.

#halloween2024 #culturalappropriation #inclusionmatters #antiracism

Many of you have told me that cultural appropriati

Many of you have told me that cultural appropriation can be so confusing. Celebrating the people around us and their unique cultures is exciting and incredibly enriching, but where is that fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation? How can you know whether you’ve been engaging in cultural appropriation?

I help answer those questions (and so many more) in this Back to the Basics compilation. These three episodes are full of answers to questions that YOU in this community have asked me, questions that help us understand cultural appropriation more broadly as well as in real-life situations where the rubber meets the road.

In these episodes, you can learn about:
• How power dynamics are at play in cultural appropriation.
• How to differentiate between impact and intent and why that matters.
• How money comes into play in cultural appropriation.
• How to avoid appropriation in children’s costumes.
• How cultural appropriation is linked to racism and white supremacy.

As an added bonus, the last episode on the list, “Season 3, Episode 2: Real Talk: Cultural Appropriation & White Supremacy” is a real and unfiltered conversation with my friend Michelle Franzoni-Thorley from @florafamiliar. You don’t want to miss the perspective she adds to this topic!

#culturalappropriation #halloween2024 #firstnamebasis

Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off in a few days, a

Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off in a few days, and we want to celebrate all the beautiful cultures that are part of the Latine community! One of the best ways we can start to include kids in those celebrations is through books.

Here is a list of 11 books for you to take a look at, but please be sure to read our note in the first few slides ❤️ We encourage you to listen to those in the Latine community and follow their lead in how they identify.

#hispanicheritagemonth #hispanicheritagemonth2024 #latine #childrensbooks #inclusive #kidlit #diversitymatters

I hear all the time from parents and teachers that

I hear all the time from parents and teachers that they don’t know what to say when a child says something racist.

Moments when that happens can be stressful, emotional and hard to hear, but I have some suggestions to help guide your reaction — the 5 B’s!

1. Be proactive: Don’t wait until something racist happens to talk about race. Teach children that EVERYONE is important and has value and that differences are a normal and exciting part of life.

2. Be calm: Your child/student is looking to you to know how to react.Don’t overreact or underreact. Overreacting would be shaming your child, and underreacting would be ignoring the situation or sweeping it under the rug.
3. Be curious: Before you go into teaching mode, ask questions to understand what your child/student is thinking. Seek to understand the underlying belief your child is holding by calmly asking, “I wonder why you said that?”
4. Be clear: Help the child understand the impact of their statement, even if they didn’t intend to cause harm. Explain the harm. This can include explaining melanin and making it clear that racism, not skin color, is the reason why BIPOC have been treated poorly in the past. Ask your child what they can do to fix the harm.
5. Be reflective: Talk about what happened with another adult you trust and share how you think it went. Ask yourself, “Is there something in my environment that might be contributing to this prejudice or bias?” Follow up with the child and keep the conversation going.
Have you ever had a conversation like this with your kids or students? Share in the comments what you learned, what went well, and what you’d do differently.

You can learn more by listening to the First Name Basis Podcast, Season 4, Episode 4: “Oh No! My Child Said Something Racist.”

#firstnamebasispodcast #firstnamebasis #antiracism #antiracist #antiracisteducation #antiracismeducation #teachtruth #diversityandinclusion #inclusiveparenting #inclusionmatters #diversityequityinclusion #diversitymatters #parentingsupport #parentingpodcast #familypodcast

Rich People Commit Crimes, Too

All Episodes | Anti-Racism | Podcast | Season 5

Rich People Commit Crimes, Too

This past week we’ve had some deep and meaningful conversations about responding to the myth of “Black on Black crime.”…

3 Things I Wish White Moms Knew About Black Motherhood

All Episodes | Learning for Adults | Podcast | Season 4

3 Things I Wish White Moms Knew About Black Motherhood

Every mother experiences motherhood differently — no two journeys are the same. And there are some things that Black mothers…

Culture is Not a Costume: Cultural Appropriation and Halloween

All Episodes | Podcast | Season 4

Culture is Not a Costume: Cultural Appropriation and Halloween

I know some of you super-prepared parents out there are already getting costumes put together for your kiddos, and you…

Don’t Wait Until Something Bad Happens to Talk to Your Kids About Race

All Episodes | Podcast | Season 5 | Teaching Kids

Don’t Wait Until Something Bad Happens to Talk to Your Kids About Race

It’s obvious that there is a need to talk about race with our kiddos when big events are in the…

Teaching Our Children About Unfamiliar Accents

All Episodes | Podcast | Teaching Kids

Teaching Our Children About Unfamiliar Accents

Have y’all ever driven down the East Coast? I don’t mean to spoil the magic for you but I gotta…

How to Avoid Cultural Appropriation

All Episodes | Diversity and Inclusion | Learning for Adults | Podcast | Season 2

How to Avoid Cultural Appropriation

Celebrating the people around us and their unique cultures can be exciting and incredibly enriching! But where is that fine…