Education Now: Helping Children Cope with Racial Trauma | Harvard Graduate School of Education

This summer, we’ve seen a new generation of young people calling out to demand racial justice — finding their voice in the fight for a more equitable society. And yet behind those demands is the fear, pain, stress, and trauma that Black Americans, including children, struggle with every day. Images of police brutality, instances of daily discrimination large and small, and even the need to think, talk, and educate white people about the black experience are draining. All of it— with the inequitable effects of the pandemic — creates serious challenges for social emotional wellness and readiness to learn.

Parents of children of color provide support at home, but how can schools and educators acknowledge and help students navigate racial trauma? How can educators and communities acknowledge their own stress and pain?

During this conversation, we addressed this critical question and identify concrete ways that educators and school leaders of all races can guide students through this traumatic time. Tracie Jones, HGSE’s Director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, joined by James Huguley, Ed.M.’04, Ed.D.’13, who is the Interim Director at University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems; and Sarah Vinson, a physician who specializes in adult, child & adolescent, and forensic psychiatry. She is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at Morehouse School of Medicine.