Passing the Mic: Reflections on Six Seasons of Early Risers

New host Andre Dukes sits down with Early Risers’ founding host Dianne Haulcy to reflect on the origins of this podcast. Just days after the murder of George Floyd, Haulcy penned a wakeup call to her peers in early childhood education on the realities of racism and implicit bias in how we raise our children. That message ultimately became Haulcy’s personal call to action, and the foundation for the Early Risers podcast. Haulcy shares her favorite podcast episodes and offers advice to Dukes as he takes the reins. We also learn about Dukes’ uniquely personal connection to the location where George Floyd lost his life, nearly 50 years earlier, well before it became George Floyd Square. 

Guest

Dianne Haulcy
Former Host, Early Risers 
Assistant Commissioner, Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families 

Following the killing of George Floyd, early childhood leader Dianne Haulcy wrote a blogpost in which she called on colleagues and peers to wake up to the realities of racism and implicit bias in how we raise and teach our children. That message planted the seed for Early Risers, a podcast about racial equity in early childhood and the hope of raising a generation who will bring a new dawn of racial equity for the future. Dianne hosted Early Risers until 2024, when she was appointed Assistant Commissioner of Early Childhood at the Minnesota Department of Children Youth and Families. 

Discussion Guide

Episode Resources:  

• How Children’s Books can be Tools for Resistance: A Conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi  
• We Are the Same and We Are Different; How to Talk about Diversity with White Kids in White Communities Louise Derman-Sparks 
• What If All the Kids Are White?: Anti-Bias Multicultural Education with Young Children and Families by Louise Derman-Sparks 
• Understanding Racial Identity in Young Children Dr. Toni Sturdivant 
• Navigating Parenthood as Black Parents in a Growing Minnesota City Kai and James Miller