Working Within, Beyond, and Through the Divides: Hopes and Possibilities for De-“Racing” Early Childhood

Abstract

In this chapter we (the authors in this edited volume) come together to discuss our hopes and what we see as the possibilities for de-“facing” early childhood. We want to honor the diverse approaches and subjectivities we bring to working for the de-“racing” of early childhood without the demand and expectation of a consensus of opinions and ways forward in this work. We talk across and within our experiences as researchers (details of projects mentioned are in appendix), as educators of young children, as educators of preservice early childhood educators, and as agentic and subjective citizens. This chapter is loosely structured around our responses to each others’ chapters in the book and key themes that this process raised for us. We talk about:

• Thinking about researching children, “race,” and racism

• Engaging with racism

• Resistance to antiracism

• Engaging with “color-blindness”

• The disadvantages of “feeling comfortable”

• Studying white theories

• Problems with education?