White lies we tell our children
by guest blogger Colin Stokes I was driving my family through a part of Boston we don’t usually traffic, and I heard my ten-year-old daughter from the back seat: “Why do so many Black people live in this neighborhood?” I…
My daughter’s charmed life and her contact with the service industry
by Sachi Feris As a White, upper middle class woman, my contact with the service industry provides a constant reminder that the legacy of slavery is inextricably connected to our present-day reality. I live near a block that houses a…
The N-word and my daughter
by guest blogger Martha Haakmat I woke up this morning thinking about what it means to raise race conscious children, and how some of us have no choice. I am sure this is on my mind heavily because I am…
Explaining “race” versus skin color to my three-year-old
by Sachi Feris Since we often talk about skin color, I wasn’t surprised when my daughter, while sitting on a bench in San Cristóbal, Mexico the other day, noted that her baby brother’s skin color is pinker and paler than…
Windows and mirrors: Reading diverse books with young children
by guest blogger Georgia Lobban Less than a year ago, my daughter (then four-years-old) expressed a dislike for her hair and skin as compared to the characters see often enjoys in books. “Mommy, my hair looks so silly!” or “Am…