Teaching Race: Pedagogy and Practice

This brief from the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) details the latest findings and data on the death rates of people aged 15 to 24 in the United States. Compared to young people in other high-income countries, Americans under 25 are twice as likely to die, with mortality rates remaining stagnant or increasing for all age groups under 25 over the past several years. The authors examine these mortality differences, focusing on the risk factors for…

This case study features an effort between three friends from a First Nations (Native American) community in rural Canada to establish a mental health program for men and boys that respects and builds on traditional cultural values and beliefs. First Nations youth are five to six times more likely to commit suicide than non-indigenous youth, according to health data in Canada. Existing mental health interventions typically fail to consider socio-cultural traditions and stresses associated with…

This case study from the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) describes the controversial choking death of Eric Garner in New York City in 2014 and explores difficult questions surrounding race, crime, and policing in poor, racially-isolated urban neighborhoods. It describes the New York Police Department’s policies over the last two decades, as well as the particulars of Eric Garner’s death—including the Grand Jury decision not to indict the police officers involved, the rise of the Black…