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My children don’t know discrimination personally. They have never been made to feel less than because of where they were born, who they love, what they believe, or the color of their skin. This privilege means it is vital my children know their story is not the story, and they must use their voices to speak and act towards love, tolerance, and change. It means talking about racism with children is a must, right now.
Conversations about race and ethnicity can’t wait until children are older or we find the time. These conversations will be uncomfortable. We can’t wrap them in a pretty bow. As parents and teachers, we’re faced with how best to go about explaining the world to our children. Our job is to make sure they are loved, safe, and informed. It’s easier to point out what is good in the world. We can’t ignore that it is also messy and unfair, unjust, and in need of change.
I am no expert. I have a lot of learning and listening to do. I need resources to help my children become informed, and I need resources to make sure I am informed. I need to continue to check in with my implicit bias (we all have them) and make sure the way I share information with them and the way I speak and act, doesn’t offer my fears, lack of understanding, or bias.
Maybe you’re looking for resources too.
Here are some of the things I’m using to keep myself informed and create dialogue in our home.
Talking with Kids About Racism- Resources
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Resources for Talking about Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence with Kids
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Sparkle Stories on Diversity (to listen to with your children)
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This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany M. Jewell.
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Teaching Tolerance– lessons, activities, articles- so much can be found here
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This might be a place to start
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Anti-racism resources for white people
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Anti-Racism For Kids 101: Starting To Talk About Race
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Woke Kindergarten
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100 RACE-CONSCIOUS THINGS YOU CAN SAY TO YOUR CHILD TO ADVANCE RACIAL JUSTICE
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31 Children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance
I’d love to know what resources you are using and find helpful. I’ll keep adding to this list as I find more.
There’s much work to be done.
We can begin by looking inside ourselves.
We can begin by having the hard conversations in our homes and classrooms.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”
― Audre Lorde, Our Dead Behind Us: Poems
