Here’s what we know about educating children: it’s never too early to start. With the help of our larger BIPOC community, here are a few anti-racism resources for you to review and implement under your own roof. Parents: it starts with us.
For Babies & Toddlers
- Support Black businesses by purchasing toys, books, and/or clothing from Black retailers found via directories like Black Wallet and Official Black Wall Street.
- Introduce diversity in daily at-home activities, i.e. finger puppets, dolls, games, and art supplies.
- Re-examine your relationship to beloved children’s classics that support racism; remove and replace these books with classics that better represent the values of your family.
For Pre-K & Kindergarten
- Invite pre-readers to select picture books from this list of 31 books to support conversations on race, racism, and resistance.
- Create a family-wide summer reading program with books written by diverse voices about diverse voices.
- Engage with early questions and correct common misconceptions throughout your child’s ongoing learning process.
For Elementary-Aged Children
- Encourage elementary-aged children to slowly make their way through this list of Coretta Scott King Award winners. For more, visit this aggregate of 1000+ black girl books database.
- Host a family podcast morning with these select kid-friendly episodes from Code Switch, a NPR podcast hosted by journalists of color exploring how race impacts every part of society. (You can find a complete Spotify playlist of all selected episodes here.)
- Intentionally incorporate diversity into your media intake, and point out existing bias in today’s popular programs or classic tales.
- Continue to lead and engage in race-conscious conversations with your children, and educate yourself on helpful responses here.
For Parents
- Review this list of 75 actions you can take to seek racial justice within your own community. Pick those that are feasible and Sharpie them on the calendar throughout the year. Invite your children to see and know what you’re working toward, whether calling local police departments or emailing your HR department.
- Host a date night with your partner and watch 13th together (currently on Netflix, or streams free here) to spark further conversations about how you plan to engage in racial conversations with your children.
- Acknowledge that racial bias begins early, and model both action and responsibility for your children by unlearning/educating yourself.
- Follow existing resources and voices for the latest research on raising advocates for racial justice. Remember: this is a long haul.
- Don’t shy away from hard conversations with your children. Utilize available resources for talking about race, racism, and racialized violence with your kids.
Update: We’ll be adding to the above list periodically. Have a resource you’d love to share? Feel free to email us at hello@othergoose.com.