White privilege and imaginary play with guns

White privilege and imaginary play with guns

by guest blogger Amy Fellows Today, I had a very clear moment of understanding White privilege. My six-year-old bi-racial daughter was playing with some White neighbor kids, when another girl came over with a very real looking cap gun pistol,…

Seeing “the only one”: Students of color in majority White schools

Seeing “the only one”: Students of color in majority White schools

by guest blogger Martha Haakmat When my oldest daughter, Kaila, was two, she came home from pre-school with her class picture firmly in hand. She wanted to put it up by the other pictures on the piano in our living room…

“Are you speaking Spanish?”;  How to ask questions about differences

“Are you speaking Spanish?”; How to ask questions about differences

by Sachi Feris One morning, my two-year-old and I took a walk to the playground. She was walking up the steps to the slide where two bigger boys were playing on the landing. I was standing by the slide and…

The problem with my White son believing that "everyone is equal"

The problem with my White son believing that “everyone is equal”

by guest blogger Danielle McDonald Today I read a post on Urban Cusp’s Facebook page stating, “White parents there is work to be done and you have a critical role to play.” This was posted above a tweet that had…

In response to Charleston: White anti-racist parenting

In response to Charleston: White anti-racist parenting

by guest blogger Rev. Emily Joye Reynolds Last night at a vigil I heard a Black elder in my community trace herstory through the bombing of a church that claimed the lives of 4 young Black girls, the murder of…

Why I use the words ’Black’ and ‘White’ versus ‘brown’ and ‘peach’

Why I use the words ’Black’ and ‘White’ versus ‘brown’ and ‘peach’

by Sachi Feris In Raising Race Conscious Children’s interactive workshops, participants practice explicitly naming race. I have gotten a lot of questions about the utility of using the words “Black” and “White” as part of the strategy to name race…

What our six-year-olds have to say about gender stereotypes

What our six-year-olds have to say about gender stereotypes

by guest bloggers Kevin Wood, Emily Silver, and Stephanie Grundy In January, a theater group performed a version of “Princess and the Pea” for our pre-K to second-grade school. The show focused a young woman whose only role was to…

Affirming children’s questions and comments about race: a simple but powerful tool

Affirming children’s questions and comments about race: a simple but powerful tool

by Sachi Feris More than ten years ago, I was teaching at a progressive, independent school and my best pal/colleague, a White woman named Sara, approached me quietly, saying: “Something just happened that I need your feedback on.” “What happened?”…

Talking about Black Lives Matter to White Children

Talking about Black Lives Matter to White Children

by guest blogger Amy Dudley This past Martin Luther King Jr. Day my five-year-old daughter and I attended a day long Freedom Camp organized by some long-time educators, a passionate, intergenerational, multiracial group that included pioneers in anti-bias education, and…

How to help children feel it is “all right” to ask questions about differences

How to help children feel it is “all right” to ask questions about differences

by Sachi Feris When I was little, my parents had friends with a daughter named Emily who had suffered brain damage during childbirth. As a result, Emily could not sit up or talk. I remember, when we visited, feeling uncomfortable…