2016 - Raising Race Conscious Children

The Black Santa Claus at our local pharmacy

December 23, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Babies, Early Childhood, Elementary School, Middle Grades, Sachi Feris, STRATEGY: CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES, STRATEGY: FAIRNESS/UNFAIRNESS, STRATEGY: NAME RACE/WHITENESS, STRATEGY: SPEAK TO IMAGES/WORDS, Toddlers

by Sachi Feris I am Jewish. I did not grow up with a Christmas tree, nor did I have Christmas tree envy, or wish for Santa Claus. Though Chanukah is often considered a “Hallmark holiday,” I have always loved watching…

White bias and dolls: Helping children create meaning around race and gender

December 14, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Babies, Early Childhood, Elementary School, Gender, Race, Racial Identity, Sachi Feris, STRATEGY: AFFIRM CHILDREN'S QUESTIONS, STRATEGY: CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES, STRATEGY: CHILDREN AND ACTIVISM, STRATEGY: CONSIDER FEELINGS, STRATEGY: FAIRNESS/UNFAIRNESS, STRATEGY: NAME RACE/WHITENESS, STRATEGY: SPEAK TO IMAGES/WORDS, Toddlers, White Privilege

by Sachi Feris A friend once told me the following story: She and her daughter, a blonde-haired, White, three-year-old, were surveying her large collection of dolls. “All of the dolls are blonde,” her daughter observed. “It’s true,” my friend affirmed,…

“Why are all the White dolls sitting together on the Target shelf?

December 13, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Early Childhood, Elementary School, Melissa Giraurd, Race, Racial Identity, STRATEGY: AFFIRM CHILDREN'S QUESTIONS, STRATEGY: CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES, STRATEGY: CHILDREN AND ACTIVISM, STRATEGY: FAIRNESS/UNFAIRNESS, STRATEGY: NAME RACE/WHITENESS, Toddlers, White Privilege

Supporting kids to push back against racial injustice by guest blogger Melissa Giraud “I guess they only like White people,” my five-year old said the first time she noticed the Our Generation doll section at Target. Screeeech! I stopped our…

Road to Racial Justice board game: Opening up conversations with young people

December 8, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Kesa Kivel, Middle Grades, Race, STRATEGY: CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES, STRATEGY: EXPLORE THROUGH PLAY, STRATEGY: FAIRNESS/UNFAIRNESS, STRATEGY: NAME RACE/WHITENESS, White Privilege

by guest blogger Kesa Kivel Road to Racial Justice is a free downloadable, educational “board” game for ages 13+. Racism and white privilege are addressed through critical thinking, social analysis, and team-based discussion. Through the game, players become more aware that racism exists in many…

Stop profiling Muslims: How you can take action with your children

December 4, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Alissa Wise, Early Childhood, Elementary School, STRATEGY: AFFIRM CHILDREN'S QUESTIONS, STRATEGY: CHILDREN AND ACTIVISM, STRATEGY: NAME RACE/WHITENESS

by guest blogger Alissa Wise As a White, Jewish family, we are inspired by the Jewish tradition to mark your doorposts with a mezuzah (a piece of parchment containing verses of Torah in a decorative case) by marking our home…

Interrupting White silence with my children

November 23, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Early Childhood, Elementary School, Race, Sachi Feris, STRATEGY: AFFIRM CHILDREN'S QUESTIONS, STRATEGY: CHILDREN AND ACTIVISM, STRATEGY: CONSIDER FEELINGS, STRATEGY: NAME RACE/WHITENESS, STRATEGY: SPEAK TO IMAGES/WORDS, White Privilege

by Sachi Feris On Wednesday, November 9th, the day after Election Day, I picked up my four-and-a-half-year-old daughter from school with my fourteen-month-old in the baby carrier and told her that we were headed to Manhattan to a protest Trump’s…

Reading “Little House on the Prairie” to my children on election night

November 18, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Kelsey Johnson

by guest blogger Kelsey Johnson Bedtime stories are a beloved tradition in our home. Recently, I’ve been reading aloud a few chapters from Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder to my children, ages 8 and 6. These…

“Trump is president and he’s gonna send Black people to Mexico”

November 11, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Molly McClure

by guest blogger Molly McClure This morning, the day after Trump got elected, we got to kindergarten early, and the kids got some time to play on the yard before class. I watched them running and laughing, trying to take…

Yes, we still can.

November 9, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Uncategorized

by Sachi Feris I woke up at 5:37 AM to my 14-month-old’s cries. I went to check my phone, learned the news, and burst into tears. “This is impossible,” I kept repeating. “This cannot be.” I usually take the early…

The curriculum I created for my children: Combating “Why is the bad guy brown?”

November 4, 2016 · by Raising Race Conscious Children · in Babies, Early Childhood, Elementary School, Martha Haakmat, Middle Grades, Race, Racial Identity, STRATEGY: AFFIRM CHILDREN'S QUESTIONS, STRATEGY: CHALLENGE STEREOTYPES, STRATEGY: NAME RACE/WHITENESS, STRATEGY: SPEAK TO IMAGES/WORDS, Toddlers

by guest blogger Martha Haakmat My teenage daughters now tease me about the number of times the words “diversity” and “race” came up at our dinner table as they grew up in our family. My middle daughter does an imitation…