Anti-Racism Resources for Parents/Caregivers

When I first started my blogging journey a year ago, my intentions were to share more about my journey as a first time mother and any tips + tricks I learned along the way. Within the last year, I have been given a platform, which is something I don’t take for granted. I’ve learned that having a platform means speaking up about important topics to help raise awareness. Anti-racism is one of them.

If you’ve been following me for awhile now, you know that I’ve touched on this topic quite a few times on my social media platforms. Combating racism, especially in children, is something that’s extremely important to me. I grew up in an extremely small town that was fueled by hatred. At the age of six, I experienced my first encounter with racism — a classmate refusing to play with me out of disgust that my “skin was brown”. As a child, this experience was difficult for me to comprehend. It took several conversations with my mother to fully grasp what racism truly was. She even shared stories about her own encounters with racism at this same school – many of which were far worse that what I experienced. These conversations about race and racism need to happen early and often to prevent scenarios like this from happening again. My hope is that the resources I’ve provided below are great starting points for parents/caregivers that need them the most. Remember – change starts at home.

Ps. This list is not exhaustive. Feel free to share any additional recommendations and/or resources in the comment section below.

Xo,

Brooke

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Educate:

According to HealthyChildren.org, “As early as 6 months, a baby’s brain can notice race-based differences. By ages 2 to 4, children can internalize racial bias. By age 12, many children become set in their beliefs—giving parents a decade to mold the learning process, so that it decreases racial bias and improves cultural understanding.”

• Actively challenge and dismantle your own racial biases and how they impact your thoughts and behavior.

• Talk to your child early and often about race, racism, privilege and inequality. It should be an ongoing discussion that will deepen and become more complex as your child gets older.

• Speak positively about people of other races and cultures.

• Seek environments where your child can experience diversity.

Read:

• Be intentional in the books you expose your children to. It’s important to share stories that highlight characters of all backgrounds and their representations are positive.

• Highlight books that introduce the subject of racism and the need for inclusion and equality.

• Allow reading to create openings for discussions about what’s happening in current events.

Books for Children:

• All Because You Matter – Tami Charles
• I Am Enough – Grace Byers
• Let’s Talk About Race – Julius Lester
• This Is How We Do It – Matt Lamothe
• The Colors Of Us – Karen Katz
• A Kids Book About Racism – Jelani Memory
• An ABC Of Equality – Chana Ginelle Ewing
• The Water Protectors – Carole Lindstrom
• Sofia Valdez Future Prez – Andrea Beaty
• Eyes That Kiss In the Corners – Joanna Ho
• The Day You Begin – Jacqueline Woodson
• I Am One: A Book of Action – Susan Verde
• Fry Bread – Kevin Maillard
• You Matter – Christian Robinson
• All Are Welcome – Alexandra Penfold
• Not So Different – Cyana Riley
• I Believe I Can – Grace Byers
• My Unstoppable Mommy Can Cook – Breanna Hill
• I Promise – Lebron James

Books for Adults:

• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration In The Age of Colorblindness – Michelle Alexander
• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: And Other Conversations About Race – Beverly Daniel Tatum
• Your Silence Will Not Protect You – Audre Lorde
• The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race – Jesmyn Ward
• So You Want to Talk About Race – Iljeoma Oluo
• Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America – Jennifer Harvey
• How to Be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi
• White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism – Robin DiAngelo
• Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor – Layla Saad
• The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America – Khalil Gibran Muhammad
• America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege and the Bridge to a New America – Jim Wallis
• Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out – Ruth King
• Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America – Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
• The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
• Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do – Jennifer L. Eberhardt phD

Resouces:

• @laylafsaad – offers a course on parenting + white supremacy.

• https://www.peps.org – offers anti-racist resources for parents.

• @britthawthorne – offers anti-bias + anti-racism education workshop for schools/home-groups.

• @fareofthefreechild – offers a course on learning how to listen + what to do with what you’re hearing.

• @theconsciouskid – an organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth.

• @prntgdcolonized – listen to the podcast episodes: “Decentering the White Gaze” & “Decolonizing Your Child’s Library”.

• @socialjusticeparenting – offers a workshop on talking to kids about racism.

• @apron_education – offers a family guide for talking about racism.

• @mamademics – offers a course on raising an advocate.

• http://prettygooddesign.org – check out the article: “Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup”.

• http://www.raceconscious.org – a resource to support adults who are trying to talk about race with young children.

• @moemotivate – offers an anti-racism 101 crash course.