Talking To Children About Discrimination – 20 Resources for Parents

The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and recent tragedies, along with the latest news and media, have had a huge impact on the conversations we are having at home with our children. For a lot of parents, they are reaching out online and to other parents for advice, to learn about the movement and how to approach these conversations with their children. Here’s how to discuss with children discrimination, particularly racism and some resources to help.

Learn the Facts Yourself

Children are naturally inquisitive and it’s good to be prepared with the answers. Educating yourself on black history is the best place to start. Here are some good resources to get started with:

Books

Contemporary reading list

Understanding the nitty gritty

Race for Profit by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Essential Watching

Anti-racist films

The Hate U Give

Becoming by Michelle Obama Netflix documentary

13th, the Netflix documentary on racial injustice of the justice system

Who to ‘Follow’

Ibram X. Kendi (author of ‘How to be an Antiracist)

Charlene Carruthers (founder of Black Youth Project 100)

It’s also important to not answer falsely. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say, ‘I don’t know, let’s find out’ and demonstrate a willingness to learn and get it right with your children!

 

Initiate Conversations with Your Children

It’s important to talk about this! For many black and ethnic minority groups, because of the inequality in the world, they have to have anti-racist conversations very early on. They will teach their children of the inequality they will face, sometimes the abuse they will experience and how to behave and handle it to ensure they stay safe. So, if they can handle those conversations, you can handle these conversations!

Here are some helpful resources for how to initiate and have these conversations:

Yoopie’s Guide

Mentally Healthy Schools’ Guide

Happiful’s Guide

 

Books and Film to Aid Anti-Racist Learning for Kids

It’s not enough just to have the conversations once and then forget about the movement. It’s crucial to keep feeding media to your children, to get them to continue thinking about racism and how to combat it and be an ally.

Books

A is for Activist by Imnosanto Nagara

Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

Baby Says by John Steptoe

Fruits by Valerie Bloom

Daddy Calls Me Man by Angela Johnson

Whose Toes Are Those? by Jabari Asim

So Much by Trish Cooke

The Mega Magic Hair Swap by Rochelle Humes

Film/Documentary

Newsround – Growing up in Black America

Horrible Histories – Rosa Parks

It’s also worth following The Tiny Activist on Instagram to continue to see a highlight reel of anti-racist resources!

 

Contact Bright Little Stars Nursery

To learn more about Bright Little Stars Nursery and our exclusive Parent Area, please feel free to contact us!

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to share it on your favourite social media sites.