This weekend I went T.V. shopping. Every monitor, on a long wall of televisions, was tuned to images of Americans protesting the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. A little boy, no older than six, stood next to a sixty inch screen and asked, “Mommy, why are those Black people mad?” The boy’s mother winced, blushed, and hurried away with her son. I never did hear her answer.
Some middle school students have begun to talk about the events in Ferguson and Staten Island. Our goal, whenever these difficult topics arise, is to ensure that we provide an emotionally safe environment where everyone is able to participate in civil discussion, not heated debate. Our goals, informed by Facing History , are to have children imagine the best possible outcome in these situations, consider different perspectives, and examine the role of race, class, and stereotyping plays in our society.
Teachers have not yet heard children talking about these protests in the lower school, but it is likely that they are taking in media images and adult conversations. For an age-by-age guide to talking to your children about the news please check out this link . I used the techniques described with my own children and was surprised by what they knew about these tragedies.
I also invite you to read these very thought provoking articles about talking with your children about race.
The Danger of Not Talking to Your Children About Race
What White Children Need to Know About Race
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