- Field Building
- National Convening on Children's Racial Learning
National Convening on Children's Racial Learning
In May 2025, as federal funding cuts, a DEI backlash, and book bans swept across the country, EmbraceRace brought together 200+ leaders from five core sectors for the first-ever National Convening on Children's Racial Learning in Chicago. The gathering was both a response to a contentious moment and an act of collective imagination.
Despite political and cultural backlash against racial equity work, this is a promising moment to accelerate the emergence of a national field focused on children’s racial learning
- Research on racial learning has advanced significantly in the last decade
- More organizations than ever are focused on supporting racial learning in schools, libraries, media, and community spaces
- Parents are eager for tools to help their children understand race and racism
How and what U.S. children learn about race is now a public concern in ways it simply wasn’t a generation ago.
"This work isn't optional. It's critical to the survival and humanity of my children and children who look like mine."
— Jasmine Hood Miller
What Emerged
The convening opened space for radical imagining. In breakout sessions, participants envisioned a world in 2030 where children's racial learning is broadly recognized as a core developmental domain. Where equity is foundational, not aspirational. Where all children and families feel visible and valued.
Despite significant challenges, organizations at the convening demonstrated remarkable resilience—mobilizing against book bans, defending international students, and challenging harmful policies in court.
Our strength comes from leaning into our values, building community, and remembering that: a large majority of US parents want support in fostering healthy racial learning among children.