Where are you REALLY from? Raced curriculum, racial identity, and a project for a fuller humanity

My action research addresses the lack of curricula and pedagogical strategies and overall race illiteracy that silence discourses on race and racism in the context of U.S. K-12 classrooms and qualitatively documents the impact such a curriculum has on students. By employing critical race theory, critical social theory of race, and multicultural education to frame my action research, I developed and piloted a standards-based history curriculum on race and racism with 40 students in a racially diverse 11th grade honors history course during the 2008-2009 academic year. The study included 3-phase (pre-intervention, during intervention and post-intervention) interviews, racial attitude inventories, student journaling and cyber dialogue via Facebook, email, and texting.I assert that exposure to this curriculum was highly transformative in that the development of race literacy improves 1) healing for racial identity via colorscence (positively coming to racial awareness) 2) desire to learn more 3) development of what I coin Quad A (racial awareness, analysis, and agency via activism) and 4) a unique racial identity development for Whites. Such findings operate in contradiction to the purposes behind widespread colorblind K-12 educational practices.This study not only documents student development of racial identity in response to curriculum on race and racism in a post-Obama America, it also offers innovative curriculum and pedagogical strategies for teachers choosing to "break the silence" on race and racism in their classrooms.