9.2: Don’t Do THIS During Black History Month
First Name Basis Podcast
In case you haven’t noticed yet, I’m passionate about Black History Month. I did not enjoy learning about Black history growing up. It felt more like grieving than celebrating for me, and because of that it’s my dream to make Black History Month a positive experience for ALL children and students. So today, as part of that, I’m talking about 3 mistakes parents and teachers should avoid when talking to kids and students about Black History: 1. Don’t say “because they were Black.” It’s time to put the onus on racism. 2. Don’t refer to Black people as “non-white.” This makes...
info_outline
9.1: Let’s Celebrate Black History Month
First Name Basis Podcast
Can you believe February is right around the corner?! And with it comes BLACK HISTORY MONTH! Celebrating Black History Month is so important for ALL kids, not just Black children, and I created to help kiddos everywhere be able to learn about Black history in a way that is both meaningful and joyful. In this episode, I’m telling you all about Bite-Sized Black History and including a sample episode for you to check out that is all about singer, actor and activist Harry Belafonte! is a collection of mini-podcast episodes that empower you to teach kiddos about brilliant Black Americans who...
info_outline
8.15: Work With Me: First Name Basis
First Name Basis Podcast
We’re wrapping up Season 8 with this episode, and it’s got me thinking all about our evolution over the years. From beginning as a tiny Instagram account to starting the podcast, from working with families to working with schools, First Name Basis has grown in ways that is a dream come true! I consult with schools across the country to implement anti-racist education. But as some of you have said, you’re not sure what that would look like, so in this episode, I’m giving all the details of what it looks like for me to work with your school! It’s one thing to know that anti-racism is...
info_outline
8: We Are Anti-Racist and Anti-Genocide
First Name Basis Podcast
Like so many of you, I have been all consumed the last few weeks by the events going on in Gaza and the genocide that is being carried out against the Palestinian people. We've put everything on pause at First Name Basis to be able to try to share updates and share actions that we can be taking as a collective to try to support the activists and so many amazing humanitarian workers that are on the ground in Gaza. After having some conversations as a team, we realized that continuing to do anti-racism work is one of the things we can do as a group to facilitate productive conversations around...
info_outline
8.14: Black and Brown Emojis Are Not a Punch Line
First Name Basis Podcast
This episode can be summarized with one sentence: Please stop using Black and Brown emojis if you are not Black or Brown. Skin color is something that should be celebrated, not laughed at, but I have seen people using emojis that don’t match their skin tone time and time again. I think a lot of the time people aren’t intentionally trying to do something racist, but when you peel back the layers you realize that the only reason why doing this could be funny is because of racism, and racism is not funny. And, like we talk about all the time, the IMPACT of an action always outweighs the...
info_outline
8.13: Invisible Lynching and What It Says About the Fight for Justice
First Name Basis Podcast
Trigger warning: Before you continue reading these show notes or listening to this episode, please be aware that it discusses lynching and white supremacist violence. Lynching is a reality both now and in the past. Yet despite the fact that lynching continues to happen, it took more than 120 years to get an anti-lynching bill passed. In that time, more than 200 iterations of bills that would make lynching a federal crime were introduced and failed to pass over and over again — including one that was voted down only three days before Ahmaud Arbery was lynched in February 2020. It...
info_outline
8.12: Raising Multiracial Children
First Name Basis Podcast
Growing up as a multiracial child, I often felt my racial identity shifting and developing — heck, even as an adult I do! Navigating what it means to be multiracial continues to be a journey for me, which is why I was so excited to be able to interview Dr. Jennifer Noble. Dr. Jenn, as she’s known online, is a licensed psychologist, parent coach and associate professor of psychology, who shares her expertise both in her private practice in Los Angeles and online. She focuses on identity and mixed race experience as she works with mixed race teens, BIPOC women and other marginalized groups....
info_outline
8.11: 3 Things I’ve Learned On My Anti-Racist Journey
First Name Basis Podcast
This episode is a bit of a role reversal with someone I admire SO MUCH. I have been a longtime fan of Rachel Nielson’s podcast 3 in 30: Takeaways for Moms. Each episode is 30 minutes long and provides 3 ACTIONABLE takeaways for listeners to go and do. She has over 250 episodes covering a huge variety of topics — from potty training to mental health to tips for not looking at your phone as much — and I’ve been honored to be a guest on her podcast in the past to talk about anti-racism. And on top of that, I’m lucky to get to call Rachel a dear friend and podcasting mentor of...
info_outline
8.10: Let's Talk Language: Under-Resourced
First Name Basis Podcast
Language is always evolving and we need to evolve with it. Reflecting on the words we’re using and recognizing opportunities to grow and change is a natural (and necessary) part of our anti-racist journeys. It means breaking down and unlearning things that we thought in the past, but the result is language that better aligns with our intent. So this week we’re taking a look at the term “under-resourced” and discussing why we need to switch it out for something new. If you’ve been around for a while, you’ve already heard me talk about how I changed from using “low-income” to...
info_outline
8.9: Teaching Children About Disabilities
First Name Basis Podcast
July 26, 2023, is the 33rd anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act. If you’re doing the math in your head, let me give you a shortcut: That means the ADA wasn’t passed until 1990. 1990?! It took quite a while for Americans with disabilities to officially be named a protected class as neither the 1964 Civil Rights Act nor the 1965 Voting Rights Act included people with disabilities — and the United States still has a long way to go in making our public spaces, businesses and communities truly accessible. In honor of the 33rd anniversary, I wanted to invite a very special guest...
info_outlineIn case you haven’t noticed yet, I’m passionate about Black History Month.
I did not enjoy learning about Black history growing up. It felt more like grieving than celebrating for me, and because of that it’s my dream to make Black History Month a positive experience for ALL children and students.
So today, as part of that, I’m talking about 3 mistakes parents and teachers should avoid when talking to kids and students about Black History:
1. Don’t say “because they were Black.” It’s time to put the onus on racism.
2. Don’t refer to Black people as “non-white.” This makes it seem as if being white is the “norm.” Just use the correct identifiers and describe people for what they ARE instead of what they aren’t.
3. Don’t only focus on struggle. When we do this, it doesn’t just harm Black students. It harms ALL students. And this is why I created Bite-Sized Black History, to be able to celebrate all the joyful things about being Black.
And y’all know me, I would never give you 3 things NOT to do without also giving you lots of things to DO, so press play on the episode to learn more about these three don’ts and to get ideas for some actionable steps for making Black History Month a meaningful celebration.
Bite-Sized Black History
Bite-Sized Black History is a collection of mini-podcast episodes that empower you to teach kiddos about brilliant Black Americans who have been largely overlooked by our history books. You know about Dr. King and Rosa Parks — now it’s time to explore other Black leaders and learn from their stories!
I just released 12 new episodes as part of Bite-Sized Black History Season 4 — bringing the total number of episodes in the library up to 40! The catalog includes activists, inventors, scientists, entertainers, artists and more, and each episode comes with an accompanying coloring page and reflection questions to help you have meaningful conversations with the kiddos in your life.
From now until the end of February, you can use the code BSBH29 for 29% off any Bite-Sized Black History package — 29% in honor of leap year giving us an extra day to celebrate Black History Month.
Head over to firstnamebasis.org/blackhistory to learn more and to have a meaningful Black History Month by getting your copy of Bite-Sized Black History today.
Invite Jasmine to work with your school!
Are you a parent or teacher who wants to help your school turn good intentions into positive action by making anti-racist education a priority? First Name Basis is here to help!
Jasmine Bradshaw, the host and founder of the First Name Basis Podcast, is an anti-racist educator and former second-grade teacher who has a passion for helping schools make real change. From providing professional development for teachers to curriculum consulting to implementing her unique anti-racist resources, Jasmine is your go-to anti-bias and anti-racist education resource.
Email [email protected] or visit firstnamebasis.org/workwithme for more information!
Articles, Studies & Podcasts Referenced in the Episode
“Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves,” by Julie Olsen Edwards and Louise Derman-Sparks
Song Credit: “Clapping Music” by BrightestAvenue and “Sunshine” by lemonmusicstudio