It has been exactly 7 days since my last post. In this time without social media, I have read about how a white mother to white children can help make the next generation more accepting and more ready to be a part of the change needed to ensure Black Lives Matter.
1. The first things I noticed since I have two young girls aged 3 and 6, was that our bookshelf had limited books that portray black children, racism and culture. The first thing I did was order books with more diverse characters and authors. There have been many lists of recommended books through the NY Times and Parenthood. I have found other books for my ten year old.
2. The second thing I did was order books on racism specifically to read to my young children. Raising awareness is the first thing to do before teaching specifically based on development.
3. While looking into our summer, I noticed that some sort of schedule has been useful for our children to stay on track and confident in the time of unknowns. We decided to create a curriculum based on things I believe important, things they are interested in, a lot of fun and things that have to be done.
Important- Racism will be incorporated in all we study this summer including some more specifics in Racism from where we live and where we are from.
4. Show them that you are an active part to make systematic change. Don't put your head down and let others do it. Learning by modeling behavior is the best way to teach action.
5. Explain to them how to stand up for their black and brown friends if a situation arises. Stand in front of your friend and say: "They are my friends, we are not causing any trouble, we are listening and everything is okay."
If anyone would like to add further advice for white parents to white kids trying to teach acceptance and how to stand up for a marginalized and discriminated against community, please add your thoughts, ideas and constructive criticism below. We are here by your side, ready and willing to listen, act and prevail!