Talking with Others: Lesson Plans & Materials
Lesson #1: Challenging Conversations with Friends and Family
Lesson #2: Responding to Racial Joking & Teasing
Lesson #3: Talking about Racism
Lesson #4: Talking about Resilience
Overview & Goals
Tough conversations are an important part of standing up to racial injustice and creating respectful, inclusive environments. These conversations often happen when people are confronted with uncomfortable situations like racial joking, teasing, or moments when someone says or does something hurtful without meaning to. Learning how to handle these moments with empathy, honesty, and courage is essential for building strong, respectful relationships and communities.
The goal of these lessons is to give students the tools to navigate tough conversations, whether they’re directly involved or acting as a bystander. Students will explore strategies for speaking up against racial jokes, responding when they’ve made a mistake, and supporting others who may be affected by harmful behavior. By practicing these skills, students will become more confident in handling difficult situations in ways that promote understanding, accountability, and respect for all individuals. This will help create safer spaces where everyone feels valued.
Key Concepts & Skills to Develop
- Learn about how racial joking and teasing can cause harm (whether intentionally or unintentionally)
- Strategies for respectfully challenging racial joking and teasing
- Owning our own mistakes when someone else is hurt by our words
- Helping and supporting others who are being hurt by others' words
Guiding Questions
How would you feel if you heard someone make a racial joke or tease someone based on their race? What could you do in that situation?
Why is it important to speak up when you hear or see something hurtful, even if it’s meant as a joke?
What should you do if you realize you’ve said something that hurt someone, even if you didn’t mean to?
How can you help someone who’s been hurt by racial teasing or jokes, even if you’re not directly involved?
What’s the best way to handle situations where someone says something hurtful but doesn’t realize it?
If you join a group of friends as someone is telling a racial joke and others are laughing, what can you do? How might you respond if a friend or classmate was making a joke involving racial stereotypes?
If you wanted or needed to ‘interrupt’ the racial joking, which of these responses might you use?