What I did when my son said, “that man looks like a monkey!” on a public bus
by guest blogger Julie Roberts-Phung This post is being re-posted as part of a week-long series highlighting supporters of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), both in their parenting of race-conscious children and their activist work for racial justice. SURJ…
“Is that your Mom?”—Children’s questions about families
by Sachi Feris Whenever my daughter sees a seemingly unaccompanied child (for example, a five-year-old who is half a block ahead of their adult on their scooter), her immediate question is: “Where is that child’s mommy or papi?” Her assumption…
What I say about a children’s book when all the characters are White
by Sachi Feris Among our children’s books, we have a dozen or so of my childhood favorites that my mom saved. One such classic is “Too Many Mittens” by Florence and Louis Slobodkin, published in 1958. This story is about twin…
What to do when your child comments on a stranger’s physical appearance in public
by Sachi Feris The first time my daughter verbally communicated in public about another person’s physical appearance, we were on an Amtrak train back from visiting friends in Boston. She had just turned two. The ticket collector had an olive…
Why I talk about race when I read with my toddler
by Sachi Feris Sometimes, I sit down to read a book with my two and half-year-old, and I ask myself if my race-conscious talk is overkill. “Do I have to talk about race every single time we read?” And I…