• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • NEWS+OPINIONS
    • NEWS TO US
    • COLUMNS
      • APPARENT HORIZON
      • DEAR READER
      • Close
    • LONGFORM FEATURES
    • OPINIONS
    • EDITORIAL
    • Close
  • ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT
    • FILM
    • MUSIC
    • COMEDY
    • PERFORMING ARTS
    • VISUAL ARTS
    • Close
  • DINING+DRINKING
    • EATS
    • SIPS
    • Close
  • LIFESTYLE
    • CANNABIS
      • TALKING JOINTS MEMO
      • Close
    • WELLNESS
    • GTFO
    • Close
  • STUFF TO DO
  • TICKETS
  • ABOUT US
    • 5 DOUBLE-U’S
    • MASTHEAD
    • DISTRIBUTION
    • ADVERTISE
    • SUBMISSIONS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • Close
  • BECOME A MEMBER

Dig Bos

The Dig - Boston's Only Newspaper

CURRENT STREET EDITION

DIG 23.02 – 1/28/21

PARENTS, PAUSE!: TALKING RACE WITH WHITE AND NON-BLACK CHILDREN

Written by DIVYA ANAND Posted June 18, 2020 Filed Under: NEWS+OPINIONS, Op-Ed

"2012 Christmas" by pennuja is licensed under CC BY 2.0
“2012 Christmas” by pennuja is licensed under CC BY 2.0

There is an avalanche of resources flooding the Internet and the market to learn and teach about racism and anti-racism, especially to children. For many white and non-Black parents and caregivers, the past few days following the uprisings have meant that there is a surge of individual and collective white guilt which spurs action to make their children socially aware or “woke” as quickly as possible. And as is often the case, the violence of the continuing murders, and the ways the uprisings have been projected in the media, we feel the burning desire to change the world in whatever way possible. By “we”, I include myself as an East Indian immigrant to the US, and an educator who also benefits from racist systems in the US.  In this moment of awakening for us what is the best way forward to ensure that this is not momentary?  How do we make sure that white and non-Black people can take action and can hold ourselves accountable even after the cycle of news passes and the uprisings come to a halt? How do we channel this burning to have maximum impact, in the long run? Let’s take a pause.

As many parents are feeling, their primary urge is to educate their children, and have race conversations as early as possible, especially if they have not done so before. What we need to understand here is this is not just a teachable moment for children, but a learning moment for parents as well. Let’s also reflect on why and how much we are focusing our actions in raising “good white and non-Black children”, versus looking inward and the gaps in our own minds. We cannot hide behind reading the “100 best books list” or the “10 best podcasts” to our children and exonerate ourselves. We need to recognize that we are hearing stories that whiteness wants to hear in this moment with a lot of leeway to get back into our white comfort with doing the bare, performative minimum. We have to hold ourselves accountable with actions to dismantle white supremacy and racism beyond teaching our children about racism.

If as parents we have dropped the ball on talking about race and racism with young children and adults, let’s reflect on why we let the ball drop, in building relationships, role-modeling what speaking up looks like, standing up looks like, asking questions look like. What we are talking about cannot be taught only by books. And relying on a few books will only tell part of the story. We need the characters of these books to come alive for children to experience genuine friendships, to know their whole stories.  The whole story, that is taught, seen, and experienced through multiple books and experiences. For that to happen, we need to ask ourselves first, do we have friends of color? Where do they live? How many People of Color work where we work? What positions do they hold? How many people of color are part of our PTOs? And for that to happen, we need to pause and take stock of where we are at and where our children are at and genuinely commit to doing the work so we are receiving and practicing it at a pace that enables us to make a long-term impact. This is not a teachable or a learning moment, but a journey. Because we need for white folks to be still standing one month from now, one year from now, a decade from now, as the work we are talking about is breaking a system that is the foundation of this country.

So let us start where you are at. Can you revisit the books you were taught and the books your children have currently to look at race? Among the books featuring humans in your child’s library collection, what percentage of books are the “woke” books? And how does race play out in these “woke” books? How does race occur in the “non-woke” books? Is whiteness the default? How do gender, disabilities, immigration status, religion, hair, ethnicities, etc., intersect in the characters in those books? How can you ask children questions and provide them with the tools to navigate a world where whiteness is the default and they can move from being “color silent” to race conscious? For that to happen as much as we need “woke books” to raise their social consciousness, we need to build our children’s critical thinking abilities to ask the right questions. It is raising them to have the ability to think for themselves rather than being presented with what to think. As outside of whatever cocoons we create for our children, they continue to navigate this world of racist messages both overtly and covertly.

If you jump directly into books that talk about racism without the necessary conversations about race and other differences, racist and other stereotypes may be reinforced even when the import of the book is quite different. Without scaffolding and framing conversations, it risks children taking away a single story or stereotype of a group of people without seeing them as a whole. As author Chimamanda Adichie says, stories can be used to empower and humanize and to disempower and malign. Quoting Chinua Achebe, “what we need is a balance of stories”.

And equally important is highlighting the similarities of experiences, of family celebrations, birthdays, traditions, companionship, leadership, joy, excellence and resilience. Both these conversations need to go together. Pain, anguish, feeling of getting left out and being powerless to change their reality are emotions children can relate to. Connecting with the similarity in emotions one feels needs to be underscored with: the experiences of racism are not and never will be the same as any of your experiences as a white person.

Again, Black people and children need to be presented as the sum total of their many parts that make them whole. They are not just abject victims having no agency to change and in need of white saviors. This country came this far thanks to the blood, sweat and tears of African Americans and each and every stride in civil rights were made under Black leadership. So let’s present a balance of stories to our children and hold ourselves accountable as we move forward together to dismantle and rebuild it from the ground up.


Divya Anand, Ph.D. is the founder and director of Gaia Connections, a social justice consultancy based in Medford, MA, and is a senior faculty at Cambridge College, MA. She is part of the local advocacy group Color Coalition Collective, a local advocacy group for African American Black Indigenous People of Color, based in Medford, MA.

DIVYA ANAND
More from author
    This author does not have any more posts.

Filed Under: NEWS+OPINIONS, Op-Ed Tagged With: anti-racism, education, opinion

WHAT’S NEW

WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THE CITY AND STATE TO FINALLY SUPPORT MINORITY BUSINESS?

WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THE CITY AND STATE TO FINALLY SUPPORT MINORITY BUSINESS?

HOMEWORK FOR BEACON HILL’S COVID EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

HOMEWORK FOR BEACON HILL’S COVID EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

A FIREFIGHTER ELECTION

A FIREFIGHTER ELECTION

LEGISLATION AIMS TO HELP UNDOCUMENTED ATTAIN DRIVERS' LICENSES

LEGISLATION AIMS TO HELP UNDOCUMENTED ATTAIN DRIVERS’ LICENSES

INBOX: JANEY ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF MAYORAL SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

INBOX: JANEY ANNOUNCES MEMBERS OF MAYORAL SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

[UPDATE: WE GOT IT!] WHERE IS THE CONTRACT FOR MASSACHUSETTS’ VACCINE APPOINTMENT SOFTWARE?

[UPDATE: WE GOT IT!] WHERE IS THE CONTRACT FOR MASSACHUSETTS’ VACCINE APPOINTMENT SOFTWARE?

Primary Sidebar

HEMPIRE FREEDOM PACK 25% OFF

FEATURED EVENT

Most Popular

  • SPECIAL FEATURE ON THE MASS STATE POLICE: TROOPER WILSON’S WAR by CHRIS FARAONE
  • DOES THE FORMER BPD COMMISSIONER EVEN LIVE IN BOSTON? by ZACK HUFFMAN
  • [UPDATE: WE GOT IT!] WHERE IS THE CONTRACT FOR MASSACHUSETTS’ VACCINE APPOINTMENT SOFTWARE? by POLINA WHITEHOUSE
  • BOSTON LATIN ACADEMY GRADS FIGHT FOR REPRESENTATION IN ALUMNI GROUP by CHRIS FARAONE
  • MASS KEEPS TRYING TO BUILD A NEW WOMEN’S PRISON OUTSIDE OF PUBLIC VIEW by DAN ATKINSON

READ CURRENT MEMBER EDITION

DIG Member 1.9 – 11/26/20

READ CURRENT STREET ISSUE

DIG 23.02 – 1/28/21

Footer

digbos

Bill sponsors, #Framingham mayor, and MA district Bill sponsors, #Framingham mayor, and MA district attorney will explain the Work & Family Mobility Act at a press conference. https://digboston.com/driving-families-forward-coalition-aims-to-help-undocumented-attain-drivers-licenses/ #politics #undocumented #immigration #driving #license #Massachusetts
Today at 4pm, cast your votes! #digboston Today at 4pm, cast your votes! #digboston
At a virtual summit, leaders sought to educate and At a virtual summit, leaders sought to educate and engage on the need for change. https://digboston.com/officials-advocates-speak-to-immigration-reform-and-economic-recovery/ #immigration #reform #economy #politics #Massachusetts
When it comes to special packaging and limited edi When it comes to special packaging and limited editions, Jack’s Abby and subsidiary Springdale out in Framingham are top players. https://digboston.com/video-unboxing-springdale-beers-limited-edition-neipa-music-box-set/ #beer #fun
Industrial Arts Brewing in NY’s Hudson Valley is Industrial Arts Brewing in NY’s Hudson Valley is well worth the look out of state ... https://digboston.com/video-pocket-wrench-by-industrial-arts-brewing-is-a-super-satisfying-session/ #beer #fun
Some who are civilly committed for #addiction in M Some who are civilly committed for #addiction in Mass face abusive #prison conditions. Still, some families say it’s better than the alternative https://digboston.com/the-commitments-addiction-treatment-behind-bars-in-massachusetts/ #treatment #Massachusetts
“Then this thing happened. I decided to pivot. I “Then this thing happened. I decided to pivot. It was probably my best shot at attracting some national attention to #Nebraska.” https://digboston.com/interview-with-rural-rebellion-author-ross-benes/ #interview #book #politics #USA #MAGA
Mark your calendars! Mark your calendars!
“There’s a history of #music being made that w “There’s a history of #music being made that way going back to the mid-’70s.” https://buff.ly/3d5Yfyu #interview #Boston #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
“Together we got through the economic crisis aft “Together we got through the economic crisis after 9/11 and the financial crash of 2008. With a little luck and perseverance, we will find a way to survive this crisis too.” https://buff.ly/3tQOVnV #interview #vintage #smallbusiness #Cambridge #Massachusetts #coronavirus #COVID19
Load More... Follow on Instagram
Social Buttons

DigBoston facebook DigBoston Twitter DigBoston Instagram

Masthead

About

Submissions

Advertise

Privacy Policy

Customer Service

Distribution

About Us

DigBoston is a one-stop nexus for everything worth doing or knowing in the Boston area. It's an alt-weekly, it's a website, it's an e-mail blast, it's a twitter account, it's that cool party that you were at last night ... hey, you're reading it, so it's gotta be good. For advertising inquiries: [email protected] To reach Editorial: [email protected] For internship opportunities: [email protected]