In this episode, Jasen interviews Courtney D. Clark, School Program Manager for the Seattle Opera. Courtney is a music teacher and singer, and she’s played the role of Bess in Gershwin’s classic (and controversial?) opera “Porgy and Bess”. Jasen and Courtney discuss the Seattle Opera’s current production, paying particular attention to the nuances of the white progressive reaction to racial themes in Porgy and Bess. 

For more info from the Seattle Opera regarding its collaboration with Kids and Race, as well as a partial transcript of the podcast, click the link below. 

http://www.seattleoperablog.com/2018/08/porgy-and-bess-meets-kids-and-race.html

00:17: Introducing Courtney

05:30: Casting for Porgy and Bess

08:36: Introducing the topic of “controversy” and “minstrelsy” in the opera. Singing parts as a metaphor for who’s given a voice in opera. 

14:33: Introducing children to Porgy and Bess

19:15: Connecting the world of Porgy and Bess to modern times

22:45: Blackness on stage!!!

26:47: Closing commentary. Opportunities for kids to explore and learn at Seattle Opera.

Porgy and Bess meets Kids and Race

In this episode, Jasen and Katy Strange gear up for the 2018-2019 school year! Stay tuned for advice on creating a harmonious and equitable school environment, leveraging white privilege for the greater good of the classroom, and checking your Woke Olympics at the school door. 

00:16: Introducing the topic and guest speaker Katy Strange

04:38: Kids and Race Fall Reading List selection:
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum

05:26: Back to School Tip #1: Re-establishing bedtime routines. Correlation between sleep deprivation, emotional regulation, and bullying. 

09:18: Tip #2: Let kids be kids and have fun!

11:40: Tip #3: Check in with your kid’s teacher and be empathic of their innumerable constraints and competing interests. Consider volunteering in the classroom instead of sending that snarky email. 

21:33: White privilege, standardized testing, and equitable advocacy 

27:40: Model the behaviors you want your kids to emulate. Don’t bully the teachers or kids who have engaged in a bullying behavior! Also, be aware that you will inadvertently reinforce bullying by paying too much attention to and catastrophizing the bullying behavior. 

36:00 Helicopter parenting and its discontents. More lamentations and insights about bullying. 

42:36: Parents are the primary and most influential teachers. The buck stops here. 

43:22: Focus on cultivating loving connections, not policing ideologies and opinions. Community is the antidote for racism and political tribalism. 

46:05: Nuances of PTA and PTSA

50:12: Acknowledging and celebrating differences and conflict- another antidote for racism

54:50: No one can be distilled to their social media persona 

58:00: Thinking of whiteness as a racial identity and social construct, not the norm. Using privilege mindfully to empower rather than to inadvertently marginalize. 

61:48: Don’t overreact and fix problems for kids; it disempowers and often worsens the dynamic. 

68:29: Kids and Race now on Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/kidsandrace/

Kids & Race

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