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Saw this really good editorial on why the discourse of "everyone is equal" and "we are all colorblind" doesn't adequately prepare kids, particular white ones, of the actual realities in the US.
As a kid, I remember asking my dad a "stupid" question after church one day.
I asked, "why is Jesus blond?" I followed this thought with a statement that, at the very least he should probably look like Egyptians or PAlestinians or other middle easterners with olive skin and dark hair. But really it made more sense that he was mixed because he'd want everyone to see a piece of themselves in god.
Well that day my dad didn't have a good answer for me. He agreed. And said God loves everyone equally. Or something along those lines. And from that moment on, I really started to notice and be puzzled by the illustrations in religious texts. It just didn't add up for me.
And that's the thing. Kids notice "race" pretty early on. And by living in broader society they get messaging about the different "races" pretty early. Colorblind parents are anti-interracial dating. The smart nerdy kid on the sitcom is asian. The news media only covers crimes committed by black people. The latinos on TV are in service roles. And of course it goes on and on.
We probably wouldn't have so many problems if we stopped trying to eliminate differences and focused more on the idea that people are different, but that isn't a bad thing and should not impact how you treat them.
In all seriousness: there CAN be "racism" BETWEEN different groups of white people. The best known is the Nazi vs. Jew mess.
Too; having a Spanish sounding name can be a problem even of that dude or lady is pasty white with real blond hair and blue eyes. Another mess is with Arabs and other "brown" skin white people against pasty skin whites.
Interesting article, but I would've liked to see more advice on how to talk to kids about race instead of just what not to do. Thank you for sharing though.
Interesting article, but I would've liked to see more advice on how to talk to kids about race instead of just what not to do. Thank you for sharing though.
That would be helpful. Not much around that topic it seems. It isn't very easy to even find a kids book with diverse characters (diverse meaning a range of ethnicities in a single book )
I was always told we're all God's children. I think that was good advice
That does not mean they are all equal. Even in the British royal family there can be only one "king".
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