“I think it’s important for us to teach that little black girl that there’s nothing wrong with her because of the color of her skin, because of the texture of her hair. And I think it’s also important for us to teach that little white boy, that there’s nothing right about him because of the color of his skin, or even because of the texture of his hair, that there’s nothing superior about him.

“I also think it’s important for us to deliberately teach our children — especially if you’re in a community where, let’s say, the resource-rich side of town is predominantly white, and the resource-poor side of town is predominantly black — for us to talk to our kids about that and say, you know, those black folks do not have less, because they are less; those white folks don’t have more, because they are more. And then the student, even if they’re five years old, they’re like, Okay, so then, what’s the reason? And that’s when we can talk about rules and unfair rules.”

— Boston University Professor Ibram Kendi, discussing antiracism and early childhood policy with the Alliance for Early Success, November 18, 2020