“LITTLE PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT RACE”: THINKING WITH THE WAKE IN A FIRST-GRADE CLASSROOM _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by OONA R. FONTANELLA-NOTHOM Dr. Candace R. Kuby, Dissertation Supervisor May 2019 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled “LITTLE PEOPLE CAN LEARN ABOUT RACE”: THINKING WITH THE WAKE IN A FIRST GRADE CLASSROOM presented by Oona Fontanella-Nothom, a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. _____________________________________ Professor Candace R. Kuby _____________________________________ Professor Amalia Dache _____________________________________ Professor LaGarrett J. King _____________________________________ Professor Angie Zapata ii Dedication For my dad. Thank you for your trust, love, courage, and humor. I miss you every day and I am so grateful for the time we had together. This song has new meaning for me now… thank you for sharing it, and so much more music with me. “The moment we said goodbye Silence tore across the sky… Gone before its time There goes your shadow down the highway Out on that road I couldn’t find While I crawl like a scorpion Slowly to the new word Across these miles of prairie Full of melancholy time” Jennifer Warnes, “Prairie Melancholy,” (2001) iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to both Ms. Rotter and her students. Although I cannot name them all here, this dissertation would not be possible without all of you. Ms. Rotter, you are truly a caring, risk-taking, and amazing educator. I have learned so much from and with you over these past two years. I am proud to call you my friend. I am excited to see how we continue to collaborate in the future and looking forward to all the great opportunities that await you as you finish your own dissertation project! I am so grateful for the strength, support, kindness, and scholarly knowledge from everyone on my dissertation committee. I regularly tell everyone I know what a powerhouse committee I have. You all continue to push me to think, read, question, and write in ways that only make me better. Dr. Amalia Dache, the first time I heard you talk about theory, I was blown away and thought “I need to get to know her!” I am so grateful for your time and expertise—Each time we talk I walk away with new literature to read, new questions to ask, and excited about the possibilities ahead. Thank you for your mentorship. Dr. LaGarrett King, thank you for sharing your deep expertise and knowledge regarding race and racism with me. You always push me read and know more and I am so grateful. You also help me think critically about the language I use— whenever I write or think about new or newness, I always hear you in my head saying, “is anything really new?” Thank you for your feedback and support. Dr. Angie Zapata, you showed me kindness before I even officially met you! You offered up your home to me and my family not knowing who we were, and we are all so grateful for your generosity and trust. I have learned so much from you throughout my PhD program— ii about selecting children’s literature and approaches to sharing the wonder and joy of books, building teacher-researcher collaborations, and developing myself as a researcher. There have been countless moments where I doubted myself and my process, but you were always there with positive support. Thank you for believing in me. Dr. Candace Kuby, the phrase ‘thank you’ will never be enough to contain my tremendous gratitude for your mentorship, support, generosity, and patience over the past four years. I have to imagine that I was not the easiest advisee to work with, and I am grateful for the time you spent, working to support me in the ways I needed most in that particular moment (which often changed!). I have learned so much from you, as well as the experiences you have provided and facilitated. Being a student your classes has provided me space to think through the questions and wonderings I had about being a researcher with young children and teachers. Your thoughtfulness and intentionality about how to work and think-with teachers has been instrumental for me. Thank you for providing permission to explore ways of thinking, writing, and (re)presenting that were most helpful to me! Writing and researching with you allowed me to see the joy in embarking upon unknown and uncertain paths. Thank you to you, Nick, and Carlann for taking us in and caring for us when our start in Columbia was unstable. It helped us to feel like we supposed to be here (when everything else seemed to say we should leave!). Your support has helped to make me a better person and scholar—thank you for accepting me as I am. My journey as a doctoral program has been a rollercoaster. Filled lots of highs and lows that I do not believe I could have survived without the support of fellow doctoral students. There are so many people I have met, talked, and learned with over these four years. Thank you all. I would like to highlight three specific people that have iii significantly shifted my growth, learning, and belief in myself in positive ways. The first is Tamara Hancock. Tamara, thank you for your friendship. Without your desk positioned directly across from mine, I’m not sure I would have made it. For the conversations, laughs, tears, and writing—I felt sustained by our friendship throughout my time as a doctoral student. Christy Goldsmith, you were one of the first friends I made here at Mizzou. Thank you for being willing to share a hotel room with me (now that I know you so well, I recognize that choice was a big deal!). Thank you for carrying my suitcase across the country when you barely knew me! I appreciate your support throughout the years— the constant words of encouragement, validating the questions and frustrations I had/have, and for your kindness. I am so appreciative of the time you took to read over my dissertation and provide feedback that I know have only made my writing stronger. Traci Wilson-Kleekamp, teaching, talking, and learning with you has been a highlight of my doctoral program. I have enjoyed our conversations about Black Feminisms, antiblackness, and racism. You are a philosopher and have so much to share with the world through your thinking, writing, and activism. I can’t wait to read your book one day soon. I wouldn’t have been able to complete this dissertation without the love and support of my family. My dad repeatedly shared with me that I am seem to be born with a strong sense of justice. My parents were bold and unafraid in their choices to talk about injustice, social issues, and have difficult conversations with me. Both of them were passionate about their work and provided great exemplars of what deep engagement in your professional practice looks like. Duke, our dog, has been my dissertation companion. Sitting with me as I continue to write at all hours of the day and night has iv reminded me that I am not alone. Jack, thank you for your patience as I have been consumed by this project over the last year. Your creativity, silliness, questions, and hugs kept me going when I felt like I would never finish. Thank you for reading over parts of it and reminding me about the importance of ongoing consent. You are the best son anyone could ever hope for. I’m excited to read your dissertation one day. I love you so much! Josh, there is no way this could happen without your trust, faith, partnership, and love. Who would have thought we would spend four years of our lives in Missouri?! Thank you for supporting my dreams and desires as they took us in different directions. This last year has been a tough one—but you were there every step of the way. From providing lots of edits, holding my hand during tearful conversations, listening when I needed to vent, finding a way to navigate a home filled with endless piles of books and papers, and reminding me that what I had to say was worthwhile—thank you. I’m so glad and grateful to be your partner in life. I love you all the manies, always. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... ii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 RATIONALE ................................................................................................................................... 3 Why Should We Teach About Race and Racism With Young Children? ................................. 3 Are Race and Racism Appropriate Topics for Young Children? ............................................. 8 INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCH STUDY .................................................................................