Bonded by Bluntness

eRACED: a podcast, Episode 19: Racial Literacy 101: Building An Essential Skill with Charles Adams by Lisa Johnson and Collette Bowers Zinn
March 11, 2020

If you're ready to listen to and learn from the unabashed voices of black women and their equity practitioner guests, then pull up a chair and get comfortable. Actually, get uncomfortable – eRACED afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted. In animated conversations with each other and with prominent leaders, Bowers Zinn and Johnson shed light, provoke thought, and offer candid perspectives without apology. They discuss DEIJB issues while moving fluidly between their roles as parents and professionals, describing themselves as "two black moms bonded by bluntness, tenacity, and an unwavering commitment to creating communities of support." Charles Adams, Co-Founder of Lion's Story, joins Episode 19 to explore the essential skill of racial literacy and its importance in human development. Racial literacy is defined as the keen ability to recognize, recast, and resolve racial encounters and narratives. Adams asserts that parents and educators must carefully consider the "dosage and timing" of conversations with children about race and racism, never shying away from the painful complexities, while also preserving childhood joy. The podcast concludes with an admonition that schools embrace their moral obligation to train educators to detect and respond to racism, just as they prepare for fire drills and mandated reporting.