Counter-Narratives

Counter-narratives are designed to counteract messages that lead to internalized racial, gender-based, or
otherwise group-based inferiority and/or superiority.
The dominant narrative centers on whiteness as normative and ideal. The dominant narrative reinforces
stereotypes (this reinforcement may explicit or implicit – i.e. silence on the topic.)
A counter-narrative centers on lives and experiences of marginalized groups, especially people of color, as
normative and ideal.
5 ways to include counter-narratives in your teaching: Build it into everyday conversations
1. Expose students to books, role models, and movies that show historically marginalized and oppressed
groups in positions of power, authority, and competence outside of traditional stereotypical roles.

o K-12 Book lists Teaching for Change Click on “Books”

o Article: Where Are All the People of Color in Children’s Books
o Article: Guide for Selecting Anti-Bias Children’s Books
o Consider how can you add counter-narratives to the pictures on your walls, guest speakers,
field trips or assemblies.

2. Move beyond celebrating a few famous people-of-color to find books and movies about common folks,
especially children/youth in everyday settings.

o K-8 Book list: Children’s books featuring kids-of-color being themselves. Because that’s enough.
o Article: We Don’t Only Need More Diverse Books. We Need More Diverse Books like The
Snowy Day.
3. Watch for opportunities to openly discuss stereotypical or oversimplified descriptions of certain
groups.
o When you see a stereotype or a lack of people of color in books/careers/community, a great
way to start the conversation is to say: “I wonder why….” For example, “I wonder why most of
the scientists in this book are white?"
o For secondary students: 25 Mini-films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity with Students
o Article: Teaching Young Children About Bias, Diversity and Social Justice

4. Have students write their own counter-narrative, or write a class counter-narrative and publish it.
o Article: Diversify your library with DIY publishing
o Youtube Video: The Danger of a Single Story

5. Have discussions to raise color-consciousness in your students and normalize the conversation about
differences in race/skin color and our experiences.
o K-5 Book: All The Colors We Are: The Story of How We Got Our Skin Color / Todos los colores de
nuestra piel: La historia de por que tenemos diferentes colores de piel
o For secondary students: 25 Mini-films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity with Students

“We may be uncomfortable talking about race, but we can no longer afford to be silent.  We have chosen a profession
that—like parenting—requires us to put our comforts second to those of children.” – Jamilah Pitts
Credit: Dr. Hollins and Ilsa Govan, Cultures Connecting and Jasen Frelot, Kids and Race and many other resources