How to Talk About Race in the Classroom—Teaching Shakespeare and Race with Ayanna Thompson

Описание: How do we create classrooms where students and teachers can talk openly and meaningfully about race? Ayanna Thompson, a renowned Shakespeare scholar and educator, shares practical wisdom for teachers who want to engage racial topics with honesty, courage, and care. Thompson shows how discomfort is part of the process, why silence reinforces inequity, and how to model vulnerability without fear of “getting it wrong.”

Key Moments

00:54 — Realization: students have rarely been in spaces where race can be discussed openly
01:57 — Reframing the goal of a pre-modern class: more than content — practice in listening and talking
02:02 — Why students need to practice discussing race
03:22 — The classroom as a space to experiment with ideas and try out thinking
04:00 — The educational space vs. “safe space” debates — practicing intellectual growth
05:06 — De-center yourself— you don’t have to be the race expert
05:53 — Takeaway 1: Acknowledge the “elephant in the room” — normalize that discussion may be new
06:06 — Takeaway 2: Emphasize the uniqueness of the educational setting for collective learning
• 06:25 — Takeaway 3: Teachers don’t have to hold all the answers — raise issues and facilitate.
• 06:40 — Takeaway 4: The course teaches lasting skills for listening and discussing representation

Topics Covered

• Teaching listening and discussion as explicit skills
• Practical teacher stances: vulnerability, de-centering expertise, and creating accountable trust
• Using Shakespeare and pre-modern texts to open conversations about race and representation

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