So we’ve established that talking to kids about race is important, for kids of all colors and ethnicities. The challenge, for so many parents, is where to begin. How do we have these conversations with our kids, that our parents never had with us? Where the heck is the how-to manual?!
Lucky us – with the existence of this thing called the internet, we almost do have a manual, if we do a little digging around. There are many fabulous resources right at our finger tips, not to mention good ol’ fashioned books. Below is a list that I hope will help you get started, whatever your family’s racial make-up. To be cliché, the longest journey starts with a single step, and that is definitely true of teaching our kids about race and racism – and learning about it ourselves.
We need to take the first step and then keep walking. Slow and cautious is okay. The more you walk this path, the more familiar and comfortable it will become. Honestly, if you had asked me ten years ago how to talk to kids about race, I wouldn’t have known where to begin…but here I am, writing this post in hopes of helping some other caregivers get started.
This website is “a resource to support adults who are trying to talk about race with young children….to prepare young people to work toward racial justice.” It was started by blogger Sachi Feris and includes writing from a long list of guest bloggers who share conversations they have had with their own children. In other words, each post is an example of how to talk to kids about race! The site also provides lists of strategies and resources for raising race conscious kids. Be sure to follow the Raising Race Conscious Children Facebook page too!
This blog post on Black Girl Dangerous hits on four important points that we need to be teaching our kids about racism. Although the writer doesn’t offer specific scripts to use or tell us what to say, it can be really helpful to keep some key themes in mind and look for opportunities to talk with our kids about them.
Broken out into age ranges spanning from 0 to 12, this blog post on Creative with Kids offers book suggestions, links to activities, and key concepts to cover that are appropriate to kids’ developmental levels. As guest blogger Lorien Van Ness points out, “While talking about race and racism may feel uncomfortable and overwhelming, you don’t have to explain or cover ‘it all’ right now. Just starting the conversation and keeping it going is a step in the right direction.”
For all of you Pinterest lovers out there, check out this board by Lorie (yes, the same Lorie that wrote the 60+ Resources post just mentioned). The board is a wonderful mix of book lists, videos, articles, and blog posts. Some you can use to jump-start conversation with your kids; some will just get you thinking!
I have to admit I haven’t read this book…yet! It is twenty years old, but I love that the chapters are divided by developmental stages and cover a lot of ground – everything from “Trace Your Family’s History of Prejudice” and “Sensitize Your Parent-School Organization,” to “Know Your Child’s Role Models” and “Beware of Your Nonverbal Messages.” For something more recent, check out The Answers: A Parent’s Guide To Discussing Racism With Children by educator and activist Troya Bishop, a relatively short book (108 pages) that was just published in February.
And of course I would feel honored to have my own site serve as a resource for you as well! Specifically, check out:
- “Raising Resisters,” a group of posts about talking to kids about race
- my Amazon “aStore” with books and resources organized by topic, such as celebrating diversity, Black heroes, and so on
- other posts about race and family
We are all on this journey together!