Raising Anti-Racist Children (Resource Round-up)
If there was ever a doubt that the wounds of racism continue to inflict pain and unrest in our society, the weeks of protests spreading throughout the world and the cries to #saytheirnames make it impossible to ignore that we have a race problem. As parents, caretakers and stewards of our children, the work of dismantling the systemic racism that is so deeply ingrained in the fabric of this country begins with raising generations of actively anti-racist children. But figuring out how to take meaningful action can feel daunting, if not downright paralyzing, so we put together this purposefully short list of actionable ways that you can work on raising anti-racist children.
MAKE SOMETHING
Making and crafting is such a natural way for kids to express how they are feeling, reflect on what is going on around them, and engage in discussions around complex topics. From making protest signs and t-shirts to creating their own Youtube channel, find out what interests your child and then brainstorm together how you can use their skills or interests to raise awareness, start discussions, and affect change.
Need help getting started? Check out Thinking about Social Justice through Crafts and Conversation (adl.org) for cool project ideas designed to spark conversations about respect, inclusion, diversity, bias and social justice with children ages 3-12.
READ SOMETHING
The development of bias and prejudice begins early but we can combat this by exposing our children to well-written children’s literature that features diverse authors, characters, cultures and narratives. Check your bookshelf. Are all of the heros white? Who is pretty in your stories? What words are used to describe bad characters? What patterns do you notice? What you might find is that bad guys are often dark, that the beautiful princesses have European features, and when our kids see this representation over and over again, they internalize this bias. Try adding in some books that normalize differences in people which will help children to develop empathy for characters that may be different from themselves. Involve your child in choosing the new books and discuss the importance of adding diverse literature to their collection.
Need help choosing new books? Check out 20 Picture Books for 2020: Readings to Embrace Race, Provide Solace & Do Good (embracerace.org)
WATCH SOMETHING
Just like we talk about different learning styles in school, the same idea applies to learning about the experiences of others. Short sweet videos highlighting a specific issue is a great way to spark discussion or understand more complex ideas. We’ve included a quick video on implicit bias - follow the suggested videos afterwards for more goodies. Also, Sesame Street is #wokeaf and has been working to raise anti-racist children since they started!
Check out the Sesame Street Town Hall on Racism.
It’s never too early or too late to do the work of anti-racist education. We all have an important role to play in fostering the development of our children’s positive racial identities and relationships. The future depends on it. We know it’s lot and it’s okay to feel confused just keep in mind, the only way to do this wrong is to do nothing at all.
More Links!
How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism (parenttoolkit.com)
A Parent's Guide to Black Lives Matter (https://yoopies.co.uk/)