3 OF THE BEST...
“Understanding what kids already know, and what conflicting messages they are trying to negotiate, is really important.”
Jake agrees it’s important to establish a safe space: “Make sure you don’t judge anything they say or tell them they are wrong. Ask them what they know about the Black Lives Matter protests. Ask reflective, open-ended questions about their feelings.”
DEVELOP THEIR CRITICAL THINKING
JAKE says it’s important not to simply give children the answers. “It’s more effective to help them develop the critical thinking skills through questioning, which will allow them to better understand and evaluate the material they are presented with online and the ideas they might hear on the playground.”
Next, they need to feel empowered to act if they feel there’s a need to challenge other people’s actions.
“Simply being a strong anti-racist role model within your family can be the most effective way,” he says. “By making clear your stance on discrimination, you will be teaching children that racism is unacceptable and to always stand up to injustice.”
CONSIDER YOUR OWN DECISIONS
“WHITE parents need to reconsider what it means to be a ‘good parent’ (ie. getting as much as I can for my own kid) and think more about how to be a ‘good citizen’ (ie. how can my actions contribute to the common good?),” says Margaret.
She says to think about how you’ve designed your child’s social environment, the cues they’ll pick up from it and the impact that might have.
“White kids in my research learned about race as a result of interpreting patterns they observe, related to where they live [for example, moving to a very ‘white’ area], where they go to school, the media they consume, their peers, and even where they travel.”
And while it’s natural as a parent to ‘want the best’ for your child, ask if any parenting decisions you make inadvertently disadvantage others. Margaret says during her research in the US, she found white parents often act in collective ways to maintain practices and policies within institutions that benefit their own children and, in turn, disadvantage children of colour – sociologists call this ‘opportunity hoarding’.
This, she says, “reinforces their child’s position at the top of the racial hierarchy and teaches their children lessons about what it means to navigate the world as a white person.”
George Floyd’s death feels like it could be a pivotal moment in history, and Margaret says this moment is “an invitation to white parents not only to talk to their kids about racism, but to think about how they can act in different ways so that what they say they value, aligns with how they actually live their everyday lives”.
STAR FACE MASK
This has a filter pocket lining, and nose wire to mould to your face. (ages 3-5 and 6-10)