Listen to These Episodes of the Code Switch Podcast About Racing With Kids
As this strange school year gradually comes to an end, we all delve into content that is educational and fun for our children, but that we don’t need to curate on our own because there is no time for that right now. Bonus points are awarded for educational content that is not used while looking at the screen, and additional bonus points if it touches on an important social issue such as race and racism in America.
The NPR Code Switch podcast features conversations about race from journalists of color on everything from politics and pop culture to history and sports. It’s usually aimed at an adult audience, but many Code Switch episodes can be used by families for a deeper conversation about race. So NPR created a 19 episode playlist on Spotify to get parents started:
We have combed the episodes to make sure they are free of profanity, image links, and other adult content. (Although talking about race and racism is always difficult, so use your judgment, parents.) Our episodes never answer all questions, and hopefully they will open up space for some good old dinner table discussion.
On NPR’s website, Code Switch Assistant Editor Natalie Escobar also highlights the team ‘s 10 favorite episodes from the playlist, giving parents a rundown of each topic and why it’s good for kids. For example, an episode of xenophobia and racial harassment experienced by Asians and Asian Americans as the coronavirus spread from China may help explain racism that children may have already seen or experienced in their lives. Or, A Tale of Two School Districts can help students understand why the quality of their school buildings and textbooks differs from the quality of their school buildings.
Other topics include:
- How Black Athletes Have Used Their Platform to Protest Injustice Throughout American History
- How volatility in immigration policies creates stress for undocumented immigrants and their families, especially in “mixed status” families
- How Dora the Explorer helped spark a wave of multicultural children’s programs in the United States
- Voluntary school integration programs that still exist today
You can read the summary of Escobar’s episodes on NPR’s website and view the full kids playlist on Spotify .