Pollyanna does not drive the mission or program at any school. Rather, we support the school’s DEIB mission and program through training and resources. The Racial Literacy Curriculum is standalone, meaning that it is not intended to revise or replace any existing piece of the school’s curriculum. Rather, it is intended to supplement existing curricula and--given its content--may invite teachers to reconsider or expand how they teach history and literary arts. The Racial Literacy Curriculum is meant, in fact, to intensify the rigor of traditional academic programs.

Furthermore, research suggests that there are real benefits for students to fostering classroom spaces in which diversity of all kinds are welcome. And in situations where racial and cultural diversity is lacking in a classroom, it is all the more important that teachers proactively bring into the classroom perspectives and insights that students might not otherwise encounter or entertain. Moreover, students who encounter and wrestle with diverse experiences are better equipped to enter a demanding workforce where emotional intelligence, cultural humility, and cross-identity engagement are necessary for success. Engaging in a racial literacy curriculum is academically rigorous. In short, it provides students with a skill set they can apply across disciplines and in their relationships.

But don’t take our word for it. Download the curriculum. It’s free. See for yourself.

Myth #2 - The Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum is inappropriate for young children.

We couldn’t disagree more. This is fear-mongering. Ali Michael PhD, Director and Co-Founder of the Race Institute for K-12 Teachers, has a far more studied and accurate take: 

“The Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum introduces the building blocks of racial literacy in developmentally appropriate ways via lessons that encourage dialogue, critical thinking, and self-reflection... Students will come away with clarity about the wrongness of racism, not because they have been told it was wrong, but because they have been introduced to an accurate global history as well as an accounting of how race and racism came to be. As our students prepare to become global 21st-century citizens in a multiracial nation, this curriculum will give them situational awareness and historical knowledge that will enable them to live and lead with their eyes wide open.”

Myth #3 - Pollyanna is teaching white children to feel badly about themselves.

Pollyanna’s work benefits children of all identities, including children who identify as white. White children also deserve to live in a more racially just and equitable world. We do not believe that working to create this world in our communities demeans, belittles, or marginalizes white children. To believe this would be to subscribe to an ugly brand of “either/or” thinking that smacks of the damaging and conspiratorial replacement theory embraced by white supremacists. Rather, we firmly believe the work of racial literacy lifts up white children, helps them develop a positive identity, and asks them to think about the contributions they might make in creating a more just and equitable world. Racial literacy can and should be a hugely positive and necessary piece of a well-rounded education for all children--including those who are white. 

Myth #4 - Pollyanna is dividing our communities.

James Baldwin famously undoes this myth when he wrote: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” While community conversations about the intersections of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging can be challenging and difficult to navigate, we firmly believe that approaching them with courage, humility, and appropriate norms is the only way forward. A color-blind approach would be akin to receiving a cancer diagnosis and, rather than seeking the most appropriate and effective treatment, deciding that the best approach is to just not think about it. We cannot address that which plagues us if we are unable to discuss what the cure might look like. It is not Pollyanna or race talk more broadly that divides us––rather, what divides us is our failure to examine and discuss race in nuanced and compassionate ways. 

So much of Pollyanna’s programming is geared towards helping individuals and communities build capacity to face that which needs to be changed. This includes:

Assessments  - Pollyanna offers Community Assessments and Curriculum Assessments that collect and synthesize feedback pertaining to inclusivity, along with the guidance needed to implement systemic change.

Racial Literacy Workshops - Pollyanna’s workshops engage with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging initiatives and enhance racial literacy knowledge and equity practices. We work to give communities the tools to accomplish their goals.

And, introducing….MaPaGa + Me - The ABCs of Race-Conscious Parenting:  A new 4-part workshop for parents/guardians/grandparents of children four years and younger. 

As always, we are grateful for your support. Let’s leave myths in their proper place and move forward together in this vital work.

12-16-21 -- MaPaGa + Me: The ABCs of Race Conscious Parenting

This is for parents and guardians of children four years and younger and will be facilitated by Jacqueline Nelson, a former kindergarten teacher, DEIB educator, and mom of a two-year-old.

Thursday, 16 December 2021 from 12:00-1:00PM ET on Zoom. Click here for more information.

 

Reach Out if We Can Be of Help

Virtual or In-person Pollyanna Conference Models

DEI and Curriculum Assessments

K-8 Racial Literacy Curriculum/ Parent/Guardian Companion Guide

Corporate Workshops, Professional Development, and Parent Discussion Groups