Working on Being Anti-Racist: An Ongoing Process

I’ve been reflecting on what Barack Obama said recently: “It’s natural to wish for life ‘to just get back to normal’ as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us. But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’—whether it’s while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park. This shouldn’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 America. It can’t be ‘normal. If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better.” In order to prevent the United States from going back to normal, those of us who identify as white must commit to actively working on being anti-racist.

In the News

The recent news is heart wrenching: Ahmaud Arbery being gunned down and killed by white men in a truck; a white police officer kneeling on George Floyd’s neck while he exclaims that he can’t breathe; a woman using her white privilege to call the police and report that an “African-American man” was threatening her and her dog because he was asking her to follow the rules and keep her dog on a leash at the park.

The fact that I have the option to turn off the news and make all of this “out of sight, out of mind,” is a reflection of my whiteness and privilege. I don’t have to teach my white son never to run in public for fear that it will be assumed that he has committed a crime; nor do I have to teach my son how to deescalate a confrontation with a police officer; I don’t have to worry every time he steps out the door that he may not come home.

Ultimately, we all suffer when we live in a racist society. It is on all of us to continue to dismantle racism and white privilege. And we can begin today with our children. In the same way that I can’t—in good conscience—turn off the news, I also can’t—in good conscience—not talk to my children about what is happening to People of Color and how wrong it is. 

And yet, where do we begin?

Working on Being an Anti-Racist Ideas

1. This article written by a psychologist helps us understand that children of all ages can be talked with about race and racism: https://www.ahaparenting.com/ask-the-doctor-1/talking-with-children-about-racism-police-brutality-and-protests. She offers guidance on discussing our country’s current events for a range of ages. 
2. White folks: We can sign up for a free webinar from Embrace Race entitled, “How do I make sure I’m not raising the next Amy Cooper?” https://www.embracerace.org/community/upcoming-webinar
3. This article can help those of us who do not identify as Black to have more empathy and compassion: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/05/9841376/black-trauma-george-floyd-dear-white-people

And here are a few books that our school uses to help generate important conversations with our children, starting with children as young as 3:

Pre-K and Kindergarten

• The Skin You Live In (skin color & self-esteem)
• Shades of People (diverse skin colors)
• The Colors of Us (diverse skin colors)

1st-3rd Grade

• The Skin You Live In (skin color & self-esteem)
• The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 (racism and Civil Rights Movement)
• The Colors of Us (diverse skin colors)
• Mr. Lincoln’s Way (bigotry and racism)

4th-6th Grades

• One Crazy Summer (racism and Civil Rights Movement)
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Jim Crow laws and segregation)
• Esperanza Rising (Mexican migrant workers)

And here are more books.

My hope is that we can all keep these important conversations going.