It’s a routine practice within many Black households to discuss the state of race relations in the United States.
This shouldn’t be a shock to anyone when news cycles consistently pore over the increasing number of police shootings of unarmed Black people, instances of racial harassment in schools, the changes in school curriculums to make historical events like slavery more palatable and easier to digest for white students, and sociopolitical shifts that impact marginalized communities.
Black parents are forced to discuss these cruel and stifling circumstances with their children and contend with challenging realities that their kids will likely face at some point in their lives.
White American families, on the other hand, can easily bypass these conversations when the conditions are set for them not to have to encounter systemic oppression and racism. Regardless, they should talk to their kids. Discussions like these are more important than ever, especially when this country is entrenched in a dangerous, extremist political landscape.
When a white child attempts to drown a Black child in a pond while calling him racial slurs, when whole families are forced to skip town because their children are being bullied at school, and when race-conscious college admissions practices that are intended to bar the possibility of discrimination against Black people are declared unconstitutional, one cannot just sidestep conversations with their loved ones about the current state of the world, especially children who will one day inherit it.
So, what should these anti-racism talks consist of? How early is too early to start talking to your child about race relations in America?
White Parents: Get Comfortable with the Uncomfortable
In white households, parents don’t typically talk to children about race at all, according to the American Psychological Association. It makes sense, given that they don’t have to protect their children from…
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