Color by Number: Understanding Racism Through Facts and Stats on Children

Many deny that racism remains pervasive in America today. How can we open eyes to the continuing disadvantages that keep many people of color from fulfilling their potential, and having an equal chance to achieve the “American Dream”?
By presenting the impact of racism on the most innocent and powerless members of society– children of color – in the form of statistics, this book aims to change attitudes and perceptions.
Children have no say about where they are born or what school they attend. They have no control over whether or not they get medical treatment when they fall ill. They can’t avoid exposure if home is in a community blighted by pollution. The questions this book poses are: What responsibility do we expect children to take for their life circumstances? Do those conditions stunt their futures? If they aren’t responsible, who is? Are some in society privileged or complicit in denying people of color the advantages and protections from harm most of us take for granted?
Through the cumulative effect of official statistics rather than the more usual reliance on anecdote – by taking a “show me the numbers!” approach – this book will open minds, start conversations, and even prompt readers to take action.
While the numbers are official they are often hard to find because they are scattered across so many sources. Art Munin has not only done the research, but shows the reader how to locate data on racial and socio-economic disparities, and develop her or his own case or classroom project.
Color by Number takes as its metaphorical point of departure the familiar children’s activity of that name. Art Munin has painstakingly researched and gathered the numbers, and has filled in the spaces to reveal the hidden picture of racism in America from the perspectives of health, the environment, the law, and education.

Art Munin has served as a diversity educator and consultant for institutions across the United States for 15 years through his company Art Munin Consulting (artmunin.com). He currently serves as Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Munin has coauthored chapters in the books Closing the Opportunity Gap: Identity-Conscious Strategies for Retention and Student Success and Handbook for Student Leadership Development. His first book is Color by Number: Understanding Racism Through Facts and Stats on Children. As a complement to this work, he has served in several capacities through NASPA, including the chair of the AVP Steering Committee, AVP Institute faculty, associate editor for Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, the Civic Learning and DemocraticEngagement Initiative, and the regional conference planning committee.

Timothy J. Wise Tim Wise, whom philosopher Cornel West calls, “A vanilla brother in the tradition of (antiracism and antislavery fighter) John Brown,” is among the most prominent anti-racist writers and educators in the United States. Wise, who was named one of “25 Visionaries Who are Changing Your World,” by Utne Reader in 2010, has spoken in all 50 states of the U.S., on over 800 college and high school campuses, and to community groups across the nation. He has also lectured internationally in Canada and Bermuda on issues of comparative racism, race and education, racism and religion, and racism in the labor market