I have noticed there is a hunger for information by my daughter’s friends - why is your skin different? Is [only Black woman in school] your mommy? Are you a cleaner too [only Black men at her old school were cleaners, she now has Black teachers and administrators]? Their parents get embarrassed and want to shut it down, and I appreciate that in part that’s because they don’t want my daughter’s feelings to be hurt (and in part just because they are uncomfortable) but it’s such an easy time of life to normalize diverse experiences and reveal that there is a world beyond the tiny window these kids see in their daily life.
While in a perfect world it happens naturally, White parents can choose to fill the void of information about other races that’s created by a non-diverse lifestyle with conversation and experiences that break down stereotypes, demystify “others” and nourish the understanding that one’s experience is not the baseline for what is good and “normal.”
And while not as scary/life-or-death as having to make sure my daughter understands she can never walk on someone’s yard “trespassing” or play with toys that look like guns or assume that grownups will treat her fairly, it should be seen as essential to White children’s moral development.
Fox News shit their pants because Sesame Street did a show explaining the BLM protests.
It was no different when after 9/11 they did a show explaining the terrorists attacks.
Children are very smart and curious, they will learn if they are taught. PBS children shows have a history of tackling these kind of issues. They even have a puppet with autism. They do episodes about bullying.
OmarsMommy on August 7th, 2020 at 18:26 UTC »
Exactly
NixIsRising on August 7th, 2020 at 18:34 UTC »
Yes!
I have noticed there is a hunger for information by my daughter’s friends - why is your skin different? Is [only Black woman in school] your mommy? Are you a cleaner too [only Black men at her old school were cleaners, she now has Black teachers and administrators]? Their parents get embarrassed and want to shut it down, and I appreciate that in part that’s because they don’t want my daughter’s feelings to be hurt (and in part just because they are uncomfortable) but it’s such an easy time of life to normalize diverse experiences and reveal that there is a world beyond the tiny window these kids see in their daily life.
While in a perfect world it happens naturally, White parents can choose to fill the void of information about other races that’s created by a non-diverse lifestyle with conversation and experiences that break down stereotypes, demystify “others” and nourish the understanding that one’s experience is not the baseline for what is good and “normal.”
And while not as scary/life-or-death as having to make sure my daughter understands she can never walk on someone’s yard “trespassing” or play with toys that look like guns or assume that grownups will treat her fairly, it should be seen as essential to White children’s moral development.
blu3dice on August 7th, 2020 at 20:39 UTC »
Fox News shit their pants because Sesame Street did a show explaining the BLM protests.
It was no different when after 9/11 they did a show explaining the terrorists attacks.
Children are very smart and curious, they will learn if they are taught. PBS children shows have a history of tackling these kind of issues. They even have a puppet with autism. They do episodes about bullying.
Let our educators educate.