Dr. Jennifer Harvey, Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in Racially Unjust America

Dr. Jennifer Harvey is a writer, speaker, and professor of religion at Drake University where she also serves as Faculty Director for the Crew Scholars Program. She has a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Her work focuses primarily on racial justice and white anti-racism. Dr. Harvey’s most recent books include Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in Racially Unjust America (Abingdon Press) and Dear White Christians: For Those Still Longing for Racial Reconciliation (Wm. B. Eerdmans). Dr. Harvey has contributed to the New York Times, CNN and been a guest on both Iowa and National Public Radio (including NPR’s “It’s Been a Minute with Sam Sanders”).

In the introduction to her book, she emphasizes the importance of white children understanding they are living in a country built by white people for white people and, as such, they need to be aware and acknowledge the privilege which is automatically conferred upon them. To create a society in which all the people in this country can experience equality, justice and fairness, requires white children to learn how to become allies to all those who do not have such privilege, instead of just accepting and embracing this privilege.