The Conscious Kid is an organization that promotes critical race theory to children, primarily through children’s books that feature left-leaning messages about topics like racial identity, “equity,” and religion. ¹ The organization’s tax returns as of 2018 indicated annual revenue not greater than $50,000, ² but in the summer of 2020, The Conscious Kid established the Anti-Racist Children’s Books Education Fund, which raised $1 million in a period of six weeks. ³

In 2019, The Conscious Kid’s leadership played a key role in making allegations of racism in the works of the late Dr. Seuss. ⁴

Background

Founded in 2016, The Conscious Kid has helped to develop and promote books that discuss racial identity and are targeted towards children. Its website offers “how to” guides ⁵ and “read-alouds” that discuss radical-left anti-racism with children. ⁶ The organization cites studies that claim racist behaviors in children start as early as age two, that children begin displaying “pro-white” bias between ages five and seven, and says that “implicit biases impact children of all races and remains [sic] stable unless proactive action is taken to reduce them.” ⁷

Katherine “Katie” Ishizuka and Ramon Stephens are the founders of The Conscious Kid. ⁸ In February 2020, Ishizuka was appointed editor-in-chief of School Library Journal, a magazine that serves librarians. ⁹ Stephens was a 2021 Ph.D. candidate in Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego. ¹⁰ Ishizuka and Stephens are a couple. ⁸

They have partnered with other organizations, including toymaker Hasbro, to promote critical race theory among wider audiences. ¹¹ In February 2019, Ishizuka and Stephens published a 51-page study alleging widespread racism in the writings of Dr. Seuss. ⁴ The paper resulted in the National Education Association removing Dr. Seuss from its annual Read Across America event that had been held on his birthday. ¹²

Donations

Upon setting up its Anti-Racist Children’s Books Education Fund and inviting educators to apply to receive free copies, The Conscious Kid donated such books to more than 3,000 teachers nationwide within eight hours. ¹³ In a July 2020 Instagram post, The Conscious Kid identified businesswoman Kendra Scott, children’s clothing designer Janie and Jack, French cosmetics company Clarins, snack manufacturers Pirate’s Booty and Nature’s Bakery, The Shop Forward, Nickelodeon, skincare company Rodan + Fields, and Lambda Theda Nu sorority as significant donors to its Anti-Racist Children’s Books Education Fund. ¹⁴ As of October 2021, the application to receive free books was closed.

An August 2021 donation of books by The Conscious Kid to the Northampton Area School District in Pennsylvania resulted in controversy, with several parents urging school board members to reject the donation on the basis of The Conscious Kid’s ideology. ¹⁵

A GoFundMe campaign organized by The Conscious Kid in the summer of 2020 has raised more than $1.4 million to provide rent relief to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. ¹⁶ The organization claims more than half has gone to Black families and $50,000 has gone to “the Black Trans community.” ¹⁷

Activities

The Conscious Kid has more than 2 million followers on Instagram. ¹⁸ In March 2021, the organization hosted Douglas Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, for Read Across America Day; he read a children’s book about the life of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. ¹⁹

In the summer of 2021, Katherine Ishizuka was recorded by a contractor working with Hasbro, which partnered with The Conscious Kid to deliver anti-racist training to its employees. Ishizuka claimed, among other things, that three-year-olds “use racist language intentionally.” ²⁰ The contractor was suspended from his job with Hasbro after sharing the video publicly. ²¹ The Conscious Kid issued a statement alleging a smear campaign and doubling down on its tactics. ²²

1. “Donate.” The Conscious Kid. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.theconsciouskid.org/donate.
2. “Results for Tax Exempt Organization Search.” Internal Revenue Service. Accessed October 3, 2021. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/detailsPage?ein=814204447&name=Conscious%20Kid&city=La%20Jolla&state=CA&countryAbbr=US&dba=&type=CHARITIES,%20DETERMINATIONLETTERS,%20EPOSTCARD&orgTags=CHARITIES&orgTags=DETERMINATIONLETTERS&orgTags=EPOSTCARD.
3. “UPDATE: Our Anti-Racist Children’s Book Education Fund, Launched on June 1 with an Initial $20,000 Donation from Kendra Scott, Has Now Reached $1 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!” Facebook, July 20, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/theconsciouskid/photos/update-our-anti-racist-childrens-book-education-fund-launched-on-june-1-with-an-/2845324142240481/.
4. Ishizuka, Katie, and Ramón Stephens. “The Cat Is Out Of The Bag: Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy in Dr. Seuss’s Children’s Books.” Research on Diversity in Youth Literature, Article 4, Volume 1, no. 2 (February 2019).
5. “Resources.” The Conscious Kid. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.theconsciouskid.org/resources.
6. “Storytime.” The Conscious Kid. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.theconsciouskid.org/storytime.
7. “News.” The Conscious Kid. Accessed October 4, 2021. https://www.theconsciouskid.org/news.
8. “Katie Ishizuka and Ramón Stephens.” Today’s Parent, December 1, 2020. https://www.todaysparent.com/influential-parents-list/katie-ishizuka-and-ramon-stephens/.
9. “Kathy Ishizuka Named Editor of School Library Journal.” Rafu Shimpo: Los Angeles Japanese Daily News, February 13, 2020. https://rafu.com/2020/02/kathy-ishizuka-named-editor-of-school-library-journal/.
10. Ramon Stephens. UCSD Department of Education Studies. Accessed October 11, 2021. https://eds.ucsd.edu/explore/doctoral/phd/phd-students/PhD1-Profiles/Stephens_R.html.
11. Klapper, Rebecca. “Hasbro Insider Claims CRT Is Being Taught to Kids Through Products.” Newsweek. Newsweek, July 19, 2021. https://www.newsweek.com/hasbro-insider-says-crt-being-taught-kids-through-products-1611105.
12.  Tribune Content Agency. “How Teachers Turned Away from Dr. Seuss.” Bangor Daily News, March 10, 2021. https://bangordailynews.com/2021/03/10/news/nation/how-teachers-turned-away-from-dr-seuss/.
13. Pardue, Kelsey. “Inform and Affirm: Anti-Racist Books Fill Knapp Classrooms.” Blog & News | Knapp Charter Academy | Grand Rapids MI. Knapp Charter Academy, October 23, 2020. https://www.nhaschools.com/schools/Knapp-Charter-Academy/en/blog/Anti-Racist-Books-Fill-Knapp-Classroom.
14. Instagram. The Conscious Kid, July 20, 2020. https://www.instagram.com/p/CC3lJOFp2uM/.
15. Merlin, Michelle. “Donation of Children’s Books Promoting Racial Identity Riles Parents in Northampton Area School District.” mcall.com. The Morning Call, August 10, 2021. https://www.mcall.com/news/education/mc-nws-northampton-schools-books-meeting-20210810-bbuubnyoffcfdahd7f5wxa3rlu-story.html.
16. “Covid-19: #RENTRELIEF for Families, Organized by the Conscious Kid.” gofundme.com, April 1, 2020. https://www.gofundme.com/f/RentReliefForFamilies.
17. “Donate.” The Conscious Kid. Accessed October 5, 2021. https://www.theconsciouskid.org/donate.
18. Instagram.com. The Conscious Kid. October 11, 2021. https://www.instagram.com/theconsciouskid/
19. “National Read Across America Day with Douglas Emhoff.” YouTube. YouTube, March 2, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJzoDuyvw94&t=1s.
20. Creitz, Charles. “Hasbro Whistleblower Claims CRT Being Pushed through Toy Packaging; Training Says 6 Month Olds Can Be Racist.” Fox News. FOX News Network, July 20, 2021. https://www.foxnews.com/media/hasbro-whistleblower-says-company-to-push-crt-through-games-training-says-6-month-olds-can-be-racist.
21. Ibid.
22. “News.” The Conscious Kid. Accessed October 5, 2021. https://www.theconsciouskid.org/news.