Free Resources for Supporting Antiracist Education

June 4, 2020 by Jackie Glassman

Updated 06/29/2020: We hope that our new Black Lives Matter Protests movie inspires action, opening the door to challenging and essential conversations at home and in the classroom.

As a teacher, parent, or caregiver, you may be at a loss for words right now. But silence is not an option. Racism thrives in silence, and having open and honest conversations with kids is crucial, even at a very early age.

It’s important to acknowledge that children see racial identity and skin color. When we acknowledge identity—and encourage kids to take pride in their diversity and respect the diversity of others—we empower them to stand up to racial injustice. Talking about these issues with children also allows us to open the door to how they can disrupt inequality and combat systemic racism.

If you’re at a loss for words or struggling with how to begin, you can start a conversation by asking, “Do you have any questions about why people are protesting?”

Black lives matter, and BrainPOP is committed to combating racism by creating antiracist content that examines the long and painful history of race in America. By doing so, we hope to help children understand the root causes of racism that we continue to encounter today, and empower them to dismantle it.

We want to know what’s on your kids’ minds. Please use this anonymous survey to share their questions and thoughts with us, which will help inform our ongoing content development efforts.

BrainPOP is committed to combating racism by creating content that examines the long and painful history of race in America.

Below you will find a list of BrainPOP topics, recommended by grade level, to help you engage in these difficult but essential conversations. Recognizing that we have an obligation to use our platform to examine and teach about these important issues, we commit to producing additional content that develops and supports antiracist learning and growth.

In the meantime, we have made the following resources FREE to access.

Browse Content

For Kindergarten—Grade 3

Profiles in Activism

For Grades 4+
- Institutionalized Racism and the Fight Against It
- Profiles in Activism
Recursos en español
Ressources en français

For Kindergarten–Grade 3

Profiles in Activism

Harriet Tubman

Learn about this courageous abolitionist’s life and her work on the Underground Railroad.

Jackie Robinson

Explore the story of a barrier-breaking ballplayer who brought his message of equality to America.

Martin Luther King Jr.

He had a dream! Watch to discover what it was and how this Civil Rights leader paved the way for generations to come.

Rosa Parks

Discover the story of this courageous activist who sat down in order to stand up for equal rights.

Ruby Bridges

Imagine the bravery it took to integrate an all-white school. That’s just what this young activist did when she was only 6 years old!

For Grades 4+

Institutionalized Racism and the Fight Against It

NEW: Black Lives Matter Protests

This movie provides context for the ongoing protests, as well as background on the movement.

Discussion Prompts

Slavery

Explore the rise and abolition of the African slave trade, and its lasting effect on the United States.

Discussion Prompts

Reconstruction

Learn how Reconstruction policies affected people in the South, including liberated slaves.

Discussion Prompts

Jim Crow

Slavery may have ended with the Civil War, but the Confederacy’s defeat marked the beginning of a new kind of oppression.

Discussion Prompts

Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka

“Separate but equal?” Explore where this phrase comes from and learn about segregation, civil rights, and the famous trial case, Brown vs. Board of Education.

Discussion Prompts