MPR News with Angela Davis

How to talk with kids about race

two people posing for a portrait
Andre Dukes (left), the current host of Early Risers and vice president of Family and Community Impact at Northside Achievement Zone, and Dianne Haulcy (right), former host of Early Risers and the assistant commissioner of early childhood at the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, in the Kling Public Media Center in St. Paul on Tuesday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

This month we’ve seen many special events marking five years since the murder of George Floyd.  

He died on Memorial Day after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than 9 minutes during an arrest.  

What followed was chaos and many uncomfortable conversations about race. 

In 2021, MPR launched a podcast called Early Risers to help parents talk to kids about race.

It was created in partnership with Little Moments Count, which is a collaborative of organizations working to improve interactions between parents and their children. 

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with the original host of the Early Risers podcast, Dianne Haulcy, and the current host, Andre Dukes.  

She asked them how it’s going, and if we have made progress in engaging children in conversations about race.

three people smiling in a broadcast studio
MPR News host Angela Davis (right) talks with Dianne Haulcy (center), former host of Early Risers and the assistant commissioner of early childhood at the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families and Andre Dukes (left), the current host of Early Risers and vice president of Family and Community Impact at Northside Achievement Zone, in an MPR News studio in St. Paul on Tuesday.
Nikhil Kumaran | MPR News

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