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 11^th 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.