Standing up for fairness: activism with y The author is a long-time faculty member of Pacific Oaks College, California, and Director of the ‘Anti-bias Education Leadership project’. She has published extensively on anti-racist and anti-bias issues, always taking a strong and accessible line that her readers can consider in relation to their local situations and environments. She has just published a collection of narratives from teachers about using an anti-bias approach in their classrooms.1 Dr Derman-Sparks lectures, conducts workshops and seminars, and works as a consultant throughout the United States and in many other countries, including Australia, South Africa, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
interpersonal racism and other forms of oppression in our society sabotage healthy development in these areas. Early childhood teachers and parents must help children learn how to resist these. One way to do this is to involve children in activism activities that are appropriate to their interests and abilities. The Anti-bias Curriculum, developed by a multi-ethnic group of early childhood educators in Southern California, suggests ways that teachers and parents can do so (Derman-Sparks and the ABC Task Force, 19892). The pre-school years lay the foundation for the development in children of a strong, confident sense of self, of empathy, of positive attitudes towards people different from themselves, and of social interaction skills. However, pervasive institutional and
The four goals of the Anti-bias Curriculum are to: 1 Nurture each child’s construction of a knowledgeable, confident selfconcept and group identity;
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2 Promote each child’s comfortable, empathic interaction with people from diverse backgrounds; 3 Foster each child’s critical thinking about bias; and 4 Cultivate each child’s ability to stand up for her or himself and for others in the face of bias. These four goals interact with and build on each other. For children to feel proud and confident about who they are, they need to develop a variety of ways for responding to prejudice and discrimination directed against themselves. For children to develop empathy and respect for diversity, they also need a variety of ways to interrupt prejudice and discrimination they see directed at others. Through activism activities children learn that injustice is not overcome by magic or by wishes, but by people making it happen and that each one of them can make it happen. Young children have an impressive capacity for learning how to act on behalf of themselves and others – if adults provide activities that are
relevant to them, and that match their developmental and cultural learning styles. Effective activities arise out of children’s lives – including the history that their ethnic group has in working for justice – and fit their cognitive, emotional, and behavioural abilities. Choices about activities should take into account the various beliefs that families have about appropriate ways to take social action, and the beliefs that they have about the role of children in these activities. Time should first be taken to discuss with staff and parents the purpose of activism activities, and collaborate on which activities might best fit the children’s experiences, age, and background. The underlying goal should be kept in mind: to provide children with opportunities to experience their ability to take action for themselves and others, thus fostering a habit of empowerment. The following guidelines have proved effective for those who are working with young children. 1 Be alert to unfair practices in your school or community that directly affect the children’s lives. These can be related to any aspect of children’s identity and