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Anti-Racism

In Solidarity with those Demanding Change

Anti-Racism

Anti-Racism Resources

Updated May 2022

As communities across the US protest systemic racism and violence against people of color, we at Clarke stand in solidarity with those demanding change. The intersectionality of race and hearing loss puts Clarke students of color at greater risk than peers who are white. Their success is critical to our mission. We must do more to support them.

We respect and celebrate the diversity of the students and families we serve. We recognize the racial and cultural backgrounds of the majority of the Clarke Team and Board of Trustees do not reflect this diversity. We seek to increase this representation throughout our network.

We believe it’s essential for those who are in positions of privilege, including Clarke leaders and Trustees, to focus on listening and learning from the experiences of impacted populations, conscientious activists and the history of social transformation.

Our Human Resources Team, Communications Team, Leadership Team, staff and Board of Trustees are listening, researching and collaborating to provide our team, students and families with the resources and support they need. As we take necessary steps to elevate disenfranchised voices and enhance our efforts in the anti-racism movement, we dedicate ourselves to serve as allies to all people of color in the Clarke community.

Our immediate actions include:

  • A continued commitment to creating a safe, inclusive environment for staff and families. Any form of racism will not be tolerated. We are exploring further anti-racism and unconscious bias trainings for all staff.
  • Connecting staff with services through current benefit plans while exploring additional resources for assistance.
  • Increasing the racial diversity of our Board of Trustees.
  • Pursuing additional trainings for direct service team members.

Since our original June 2020 post we have:

  • Formed an internal task force to lead our anti-racism, diversity and inclusion efforts.
  • Completed organization-wide unconscious and implicit bias training.
  • Completed microagressions training with all staff.
  • Expanded the resources below to include support for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
  • Partnered with experts and educators outside of Clarke to learn and share resources.

Resources

One way we’re supporting families in this essential work is creating a library of resources to begin, support and enhance these conversations. We’ll continue to add to this list as we gather valuable information.

While we are committed to sharing helpful resources, we are equally devoted to better understanding the needs of students and families and honoring your requests. Please email us at diversity@clarkeschools.org to share your feedback, requests for support and any other comments.

Educator and Caregiver Resources

Books & Articles for Adults
Podcasts, Webinars, Social Media and Videos for Adults
Websites and Information Hubs

Family Resources

Books for Children

On racism/anti-racism, diversity/inclusion, and positive stories

Books

  • Sulwe, Lupita Nyong’o
  • Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust, Renee Hartman and Joshua M. Greene

  • Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race, Margot Lee Shetterly with Winifred Conkling

  • Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Peña
  • Trombone Shortly, Troy Andrews
  • Black is a Rainbow Color, Angela Joy
  • Giant Steps to Change the World, Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
  • Hosea Plays On, Kathleen Blasi
  • Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice, Marianne Celano, PhD, ABPP, Marietta Collins, PhD, and Ann Hazzard, PhD, ABPP
  • Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, Chris Barton
  • Juneteenth for Mazie, Floyd Cooper
  • I Am Perfectly Designed, Karamo Brown
  • A Family Is a Family Is a Family, Sara O’Leary
  • Julian at the Wedding, Jessica Love
  • Amira’s Picture Day, Reem Faruqi
  • Drawn Together, Minh Le
  • My Papi Has a Motorcycle, Isabel Quintero
  • Dreamers, Yuyi Morales
  • Firebird, Misty Copeland
  • Rainbow Weaver, Lina Elovitz Marshall 
  • Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You, Sonia Sotomayor
  • I Am Enough, Grace Byers
  • Mr. Lincoln’s Way, Patricia Polacco
  • Save Me a Seat, Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan
  • No Voice Too Small, Lindsay H. MetcalfKeila V. Dawson and Jeanette Bradley
  • I Am Brown, Ashok Banker
  • Front Desk, Kelly Yang
  • My Voice is a Trumpet, Jimmie Allen
  • More content on the way!

Mental Health Resources

Our professionals are here to help.

Please contact any of our locations to learn more about Clarke’s broad array of programs and services.