An emotional, intellectual and practical resource: black experiences and expertise on teaching about racism

Abstract

This book brings together the experiences and expertise of eighteen scholars of colour, based in the USA or Canada, who teach about race and racism. The book attempts to speak to two different audiences and to achieve at least two different goals. Its first intended audience is other scholars of colour: it is to be seen as ‘a site of safety and sanity, driving home the reality that they are not alone’ as coeditor George Yancy puts it in his introduction (p. 9). But the editors also hope that it will be used as a resource for white scholars like me, who address race and racism in their classrooms. In terms of its goals, it seeks to be a place in which the experiences of black scholars can be validated and indeed honoured. But it also has a role as a resource bank for a range of useful theoretical approaches, teaching materials and practical strategies for scholars from all backgrounds who wish to address racism in mainly white classrooms.