EmbraceRace organizes the first National Convening on Children's Racial Learning

The Moment

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.

Why Now

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.

By the Numbers

• 200+ leaders convened
• 5 sectors: Research, Education, Healthcare, Media, Parenting
• 95% identified EmbraceRace as a key leader in the field
• 91% expressed willingness to join cross-sector working groups

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.

Participants identified strategies to advance the field: centering healing and wellness, developing shared language and messaging, fostering cross-sector collaboration, and building infrastructure to support long-term integration across education, healthcare, and media.

Meeting the Moment

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. That's reason for hope.

"In a time when legal and financial risks have stifled many voices, the convening provided a much-needed space for open dialogue and action." — Keyona King-Tsikata, APA

"We are a network. A collective. And we draw strength from each other." — Dr. Charissa Cheah