Talking to Kids About Racial Injustice

​Dearest Families, 

The anger, fear and unrest resulting from the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement has had an impact on many of our scholars. Some may feel hurt by or angry at the police, others afraid of the violence they see on TV or in our communities. 

I would imagine that you have divergent opinions on these issues, as most people do. However I believe we can all agree on the following: 

• All people are created equal regardless of race
• Our country has a history of racism, and racism still exists. 
• While many disagree about the role of violence in protest, who to blame, or where the violence is coming from, I believe we ALL agree that peaceful protests are a healthy part of our democracy and one which we should encourage in the eyes of our children. 

What can we do as parents and educators to ensure our children are creating a world that is more just and more peaceful than our own? We can do so much! The hardest part is leaning into the discomfort of these challenging conversations. There is no perfect way to do this, but there are so many resources out there to help.

• Talk to children about race. I think it's important that we know that children are not colorblind! This is explained in the article Children are Not Colorblind by Erin Winkle, PhD (download below). "Research clearly shows that children not only recognize race from a very young age, but also develop racial biases by ages three to five that do not necessarily resemble the racial attitudes of adults in their lives." 
  • ​​Here's an excellent resource for these discussions: https://cupofjo.com/2020/06/raising-race-conscious-children/ 
• Talk to children about change and civic involvement. What's something that they want to change about the world? How can they go about doing it?
• Teach children about the Civil Rights Movement. Do your best to teach about ALL of the characters and events, even the uncomfortable ones. 
• Talk to children about their own heritage. Have any of the cultural groups you belong to  struggled for civil rights? How is this similar to what is happening today? How is it different?
• Read books with diverse characters. This is especially important for children who do not have access to racial diversity in real life. 
• Talk to children about THEIR civil rights. Remember, people with disabilities and their allies have had a civil rights movement of our own!: "Like the African-Americans who sat in at segregated lunch counters and refused to move to the back of the bus, people with disabilities sat in federal buildings, obstructed the movement of inaccessible buses, and marched through the streets to protest injustice. And like the civil rights movements before it, the disability rights movement sought justice in the courts and in the halls of Congress." (DREF.org) 
• Educate yourself about how to become an anti-racist ally. Here is a list of resources. The person who created this called it "Anti-racism resources for white people," but it's a good resource for anyone interested in learning more about the black experience in America: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic?fbclid=IwAR3RHN2rhgE2RtiRph9DiLdIuqevHLT0_uOxn8f9k0ZnX8p4DWwozzsZIfg

We all have an opportunity to learn and grow here. Please reach out for support and please share your experiences! 

To those families who are participating in protests right now: I support you and I'm proud to be your teacher! Stay safe everyone!
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