PD in Your PJs: Using Children’s Literature for Learning About America’s Racial History, Jacquelyn Urbani, Ph.D.

o For the PD in Your PJs series, we invite you to come as you are, drink what you want, engage with the experts, and leave with 1.0 CPDU credit.

o In today’s highly politicized educational climate—marked by book bans, educational gag orders, and the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming—teachers are navigating increasingly complex terrain when addressing race in the classroom. Yet even before these recent developments, many educators felt uncertain about how to engage students in discussions about racial issues. This discomfort stems from multiple factors, including limited teacher preparation, a lack of experience with racially diverse content, and the historical exclusion of non-dominant perspectives in traditional textbooks.

This presentation will introduce the use of children’s literature, specifically the book Let the Children March, as a powerful entry point for engaging students in conversations about America's racial history. Together we will explore how teachers can foster meaningful, age-appropriate dialogue and learning—across subject areas—that honors the experiences and contributions of historically marginalized communities instead of erasing their value and contributions to society.

This is a free program, but advance registration is required.