DAY 16: Raising the Next Generation

Each generation hopes to build on the work of those who came before. This is ideally multi-generational work. We know that it can be challenging for some to know how to talk to and raise children who are savvy and brave about race and racism. The good news is that there is a growing body of research and resources to support parents, educators, and caregivers, including the work of EmbraceRace. 

We invite you to read some of the highlights of an interview with the founders of EmbraceRace, and if you have time to listen to as much of the interview as you can – “How to Talk to Your Kids About Race and Justice.” You might also look at these short tip sheets – “8 Tips for Talking to Young Children About Racial Injustice” and “10 Tips for Teaching and Talking to Kids About Race.”

• If you are a parent, educator, or caregiver, how comfortable are you talking to your child/ren about race and racism? If you do talk to them, what strategies do you use? What has been effective? What has not been effective?

• What do you see in the up-and-coming generations that give you hope or pause?

• Share these resources with (other) parents, educators, and caregivers. Talk to them about their comfort levels, strategies, challenges, and successes. Whether or not you are a parent, educator, or caregiver, talk to the children in your life. Listen to how they think about race and racism. What are their visions for the future?

• Consider forming race-based caucuses within your group or team of co-workers, or talk with another person or two of a similar racial identity to you in order to take these conversations deeper and so you don’t hold them alone. For more information on caucusing and racial affinity groups, visit the Racial Equity Tools site and check out specific resources for BIPOC and white affinity groups.

More Resources

• How Well-Intentioned White Families Can Perpetuate Racism
• Resources at Teaching for Change
• Resources at Learning for Social Justice
• Resources at FSNE Challenge
• Becoming Anti-Racist Handout / Racial Healing Handbook

Yesterday: Structural Racism / Wealth Gap
Tomorrow: Reparations

Author Photo Credit: Deb for Congress | Quote from Words of Change: Anti-Racism by permission of Sasquatch Books. Copyright 2020 By Kenyra Rankin. All rights reserved.

SIBA thanks its generous sponsors, who have made the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge possible:

Many of the quotes used in the Challenge are excerpted from Words of Change: Anti-Racism by permission of Sasquatch Books. Copyright 2020 By Kenyra Rankin. All rights reserved.

Although SIBA has modified when appropriate for a bookseller audience, the majority of prompts and resources come directly from the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge created by Food Solutions New England (FSNE). We are so grateful for their extraordinary work creating this program and making it available to other organizations.