Earlier this year, Not in Our Town and Not in Our School were invited to join a coalition with Teaching Tolerance, the NAACP, the National Education Association, Facing History and Ourselves, the American Federation of Teachers and other groups to develop curriculum materials on standing up to racial profiling.

This piece from our partners at the National Education Association [1] details the campaign and our shared resources that can be used in your classroom.  

Racial profiling is the suspicion of people based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or other immutable characteristics, rather than on evidence-based suspicious behavior. Racial profiling is often paired with potentially negative action. Each of us can engage in stereotyping and profiling. However, when those with power and/or authority engage in this behavior, there can be devastating consequences—as we saw in circumstances surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Although profiling is often associated with law enforcement policies and practices, it occurs in many different settings. For example, in schools, profiling is evidenced by the disproportionate number of Black and Latino students who are suspended and expelled. Frequently, Muslim students and their families are profiled as “terrorists,” and Spanish-speaking students and their families are profiled as “illegals.”

• Find curriculum guides, resources, campaign details and updates.
• Download “know your rights” pocket cards for students.
• Take our online survey to share your experiences and identify how educators can help end racial profiling.
• Be on the lookout for information about an upcoming NEA Webinar for Educators on Racial Profiling (Late Fall 2012).