“Why bring it up?” Pushing back against White supremacy

“Why bring it up?” Pushing back against White supremacy

by Sachi Feris The other day, my dad was showing my children a video of his wife’s daughter’s circus performance and my three-year-old asked, “Are they girls or boys?” “They look like they’re wearing costumes that ‘girls’ more commonly use…but…

White as “right:” Why I don’t normalize Whiteness with my children

White as “right:” Why I don’t normalize Whiteness with my children

by Sachi Feris Around the corner from my apartment is a coffee shop with a poster-sized photograph of Marilyn Monroe. My two-year-old son and I have made many trips to this coffee shop and he always points out this image…

Vegas, Charlottesville, and Remembering Hope

Vegas, Charlottesville, and Remembering Hope

by guest blogger Martha Haakmat Watching the news about Las Vegas over the last week or so, I remembered spending the final week of summer vacation with family in Maine, watching the news every evening about the terrorism of White…

"I wish I were Black": Talking about White privilege with my six-year-old

“I wish I were Black”: Talking about White privilege with my six-year-old

by guest blogger Ruthie Vincill As a child playing in the ocean, I was taught about the undertow and its power to sneak up on you. As a White child (and beneficiary of White privilege), I was not, however, taught…

What Charlottesville means for our Black family

What Charlottesville means for our Black family

by Lori Taliaferro Riddick A few weeks ago my family and I visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D. C. As we walked to the museum from our car, my husband warned my children…

The problem with “Crazy” Hair Day

The problem with “Crazy” Hair Day

by guest blogger Sara Leo   This post has been edited from its original which generated largely positive feedback from other White people and critical feedback from people of color. I have learned a lot through this process and I believe…

“Who is directly impacted?”; Learning to be an effective White activist with my nine-year-old

“Who is directly impacted?”; Learning to be an effective White activist with my nine-year-old

by guest blogger Sarae Pacetta I’m the White, cisgender (defined as when one’s gender corresponds to their assigned sex) mother of a White child, and a preschool teacher in Columbus, Ohio. I live with my partner and our nine-year-old, who…

Trump and the Muslim ban: A conversation with my eight-year-old

Trump and the Muslim ban: A conversation with my eight-year-old

by guest blogger Michael Loeb My daughter is eight years old and lives with me, Michael Loeb, a NYCDOE administrator, and Julia Davis, a civil rights attorney, in Brooklyn. This conversation was part of an ongoing attempt to help my…

Lessons on Social Justice Parenting and Protest from My Kindergartener

Lessons on Social Justice Parenting and Protest from My Kindergartener

by guest blogger Jardana Peacock The morning after the election of Donald Trump, I remember the heaviness in my body and heart. I had to tell my five-year-old, River, that Trump had been elected. River has accompanied my partner and…

Parenting for Liberation: Interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline

Parenting for Liberation: Interrupting the school-to-prison pipeline

by guest blogger Trina Greene Brown Yesterday, I went through my second-grader’s folder to review his homework and sign my initials on his daily agenda. In his folder, I was shocked to find a form with a personal note written…