A Peck of Owls ~ Hidden Assumptions

What are your hidden assumptions?

Here's our next owl in our month of learning what we can do about racism. This one is about challenging our own hidden assumptions or prejudices. What kind of things do you assume about people based on their race, maybe without realizing it?

Do you remember the tension between wizards and goblins in Harry's world, which was largely based on misunderstandings and assumptions about each other? Even the friendly Weasleys, who always sympathized with Muggle-borns, still had prejudices against goblins that showed how there was bitterness and mistrust between them for centuries.

Such prejudices can often lead to racism in our Muggle world too. And though they may be hard to get over, being aware of them in yourself is the first step.

Understanding Prejudice

UnderstandingPrejudice.org has an online test that will help you discover your own hidden prejudices or assumptions about race and gender. It is called the "Implicit Association Test," and takes about 10 minutes, during which time you'll be presented with words or images and asked to respond as quickly as possible. At the end, your responses will be tallied so that you can see how your score compares to others and to your own expectations. Fair warning - the results may be difficult to take as the test almost always shows a bias of some sort. Kids, please share this with your parents and talk about your results - you may need some help in understanding them. And they may want to take the test as well!

Click here to take the test

A Peck of Owls ~ I Have a Dream

It's a Peck of Owls!

For the month of April, we'll be sending out a bunch of email owls about things YOU can do about racism.

What is racism? Dictionary.com defines it as:

1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.

2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.

3. hatred or intolerance of another race or races.

In the Harry Potter world, the Death Eaters hated Muggle-borns like Hermione Granger and thought that only so-called pure-blood wizards should rule the world. There are those in our world who feel the same about people based on the color of their skin and ethnicity.

This month, we're going to explore this topic and things we can do about it. Keep checking your email for owls, and please share them with your friends!

"I Have a Dream"

You've probably heard about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his "I Have a Dream" speech on August 28, 1963. But have you ever read or listened to it? Our first owl is simply to do just that. Click the link below to go to a website where you can listen to the speech while reading along to the text.

When you're done, learn more about this famous speech here. And tell us what you think!

Read and Listen to the Speech Here