POE
POE RUSSELL ASKS HOW DO YOU TALK TO YOUR KIDS OR YOUR GRANDKIDS ABOUT RACE?
>> IT'S OFTEN BEEN SAID
CHILDREN LEARN THROUGH PLAY
EVEN THE MOST SEEMINGLY MUNDANE
CAN BRING MEANINGFUL LESSONS
LESSONS THAT TEACH ABOUT LIFE.
>> OH JEEZ.
MICKEY PANCAKE.
BUT SOME LIFE LESSONS CAN SEEM
MORE COMPLICATED AND BE HARDER
TO TAKE IN LIKE THE IMPACT
OF RACISM.
>> HOW DO WE TALK TO OUR
CHILDREN ABOUT RACE AND WIN?
INDIGENOUS AND IMMIGRANT
TOGETHER WE STAND TALL.
OUR HISTORIES ARE RELEVANT AND
INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO
ALL FOR MEL AND BEN PARSON
SEATTLE PARENTS OF FOUR FACING
RACE HEAD ON STARTED NEARLY TWO
DECADES AGO WELL AHEAD OF THE
BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT.
>> YOU DON'T HAVE AN ANTI
RACISM PLAN PLAN TO BE RACIST
ANTI-RACISM IS DEFINED BY NOT
ONLY OPPOSING RACISM BUT MORE
IMPORTANTLY PROMOTING RACIAL
TOLERANCE FOR THE PARSONS A.
RACIST PARENTING MET TAKING
ACTION SUCH AS EXPOSING THEIR
KIDS TO BOOKS WITH DIVERSE
CHARACTERS AND ADULTS OF COLOR
WHEN THEIR KIDS WERE JUST
TODDLERS WITH OUR LITTLE GUYS
IT'S STILL IT'S STILL A LOT
OF ROLE PLAY AND AND THEY DO
LISTEN IN TO US TALKING AND
THEY KNOW WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW
,YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO GO
MARCH WITH PEOPLE AND WE'RE
MARCHING WITH PEOPLE BECAUSE
OF RACISM.
>> AND ON BRIANNA TAYLOR'S
BIRTHDAY, THE FAMILY SET
BIRTHDAY CARDS TO KENTUCKY'S
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
THEY WOULD LOVE IF WE DIDN'T
TALK ABOUT RACISM SO MUCH.
>> THE TEENAGER SAID IT FEELS
LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE GET TO
DINNER AND THEN YOU GUYS HIT US
WITH THE HEAVY RACIST STUFF
THAT'S HAPPENED IN OUR COUNTRY
THAT DAY AND IN OUR CITY THAT
DAY AND WE'RE LIKE, YEAH, AND
AND YOU KNOW, THAT CONVERSATION
WENT FURTHER.
OH, YOU POOR WHITE TEENAGERS,
YOU CAN'T EVEN HAVE A DINNER
WITHOUT HEARING ABOUT RACISM.
IMAGINE WALKING DOWN THE STREET
AND ENCOUNTERING IT.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET YOU
BECAUSE YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE
AND YOU FIND YOURSELF ON THE
VERGE TEARS.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO STOP TALKING
ABOUT IT.
AND ANTI-RACIST EDUCATORS SAY
PROGRESS WILL REQUIRE SOME
DISCOMFORT.
>> BUT FORTUNATELY THERE'S HELP
.
TIFFANY JEWEL OF NEW YORK CITY
IS THE AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK IS
ANTI-RACIST.
>> SHE BELIEVES THE PARSONS ARE
RIGHT IN STARTING YOUNG.
HER METHOD WITH YOUNG KIDS
INVOLVES GETTING THEM TO LOVE
THEMSELVES FIRST.
WE START WITH FOUR.
>> WE ARE SKIN COLOR, HAIR
TEXTURE, THE THINGS WE LIKE OUR
GENDER EXPRESSION LIKE ALL
OF THOSE THINGS AND WE ALSO
WHILE WE'RE DOING THAT WE LEARN
THE PROPER WORDS FOR IT SO WE
DON'T LIKE TALK ABOUT OUR SKIN
IS LIKE A FOOD COLOR BUT WE USE
LIKE ACTUAL COLORS AND WE MAKE
OUR SKIN COLOR AND THAT LAYS
THE GROUNDWORK FOR EMBRACING
DIFFERENCES AND THEN LEARNING
ABOUT BIAS AND PREJUDICE.
>> WE WOULD TALK ABOUT RACE IS
THIS THING THAT WAS CREATED BY
PEOPLE LIKE IT'S NOT LIKE THIS
NATURAL ORDER IN THE WORLD AND
WE ARE LIKE OUR SKIN COLOR IS
DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF THE
MELANIN WHERE OUR ANCESTORS ARE
FROM.
WE NEED MELANIN BASED ON THE
SUN TO PROTECT OURSELVES SO WE
GO INTO LIKE THE SCIENCE OF IT.
BUT NOT ALL PARENTS FEEL
COMFORTABLE TALKING TO THEIR
KIDS ABOUT RACE.
>> JEFF AND KAYLA SCHOFIELD
OF LYNWOOD ARE TRYING TO FIND
THE BALANCE.
AND FOR THEM IT MEANS HOLDING
OFF A BIT.
>> I WANT HIM TO NOTICE
DIFFERENCE SAYS, BECAUSE
THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL AND THERE'S
SOMETHING WE CAN LEARN FROM THE
DIFFERENCES BUT I DON'T WANT
THAT TO BE THE FOCUS EITHER.
SO I THINK IT'S JUST SHIFTING
WHERE THE FOCUS IS NOT SAYING
IT DOESN'T EXIST BUT WHAT ARE
WE GOING TO FOCUS ON?
>> AND KAYLA ACKNOWLEDGES
THERE'S PRIVILEGE, JIM BEING
ABLE TO WAIT.
BUT SHE'S HOPING THAT HER BOYS
ARE BETTER FOR IT.
I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, POINTING
OUT SKIN COLOR BEFORE HE DOES
MIGHT MAKE YOU THINK OH, MOM
THINKS THAT'S SOMETHING I
SHOULD FOCUS ON RIGHT NOW.
AND I JUST DON'T WANT THAT IN
THIS WORLD.
WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT MATTER
?
YOU KNOW, IF SOMEONE KIND ARE
THEY GENEROUS?
ARE THEY ALWAYS LAUGHING?
ARE THEY SAD AND THEY NEED A
HUG, YOU KNOW?
AND SO THOSE ARE THE THINGS
WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUR
CHILDREN TO DIVERT THEIR EYES
TO OUR EXPERT TIPPITY JEWELZ
SAYS THIS IS A COMMON CONCERN.
BUT SHE SAYS STARTING YOUNG
ACTUALLY OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY
TO CREATE CHANGE AND START.
SHE SAYS BY PARENTS SETTING THE
EXAMPLE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
IS SO ESSENTIAL IN DOING
ANTI-RACIST WORK AND BECOMING
ANTI-RACIST FAMILY IS LIKE
KNOWING WHO YOUR COMMUNITY IS
AND IF IT IS LIKE ALL WHITE AND
JUST LIKE YOU.
LIKE EXPANDING THAT COMMUNITY A
LITTLE BIT WHETHER IT'S LIKE
GOING TO A DIFFERENT LIBRARY,
GOING TO A DIFFERENT GROCERY
STORE, GOING TO PLAYGROUND IN A
DIFFERENT PART OF TOWN, A LIFE
LESSON WITH LASTING IMPACT.
AND WHILE THE SCHOFIELDS AND
THE PARSONS CURRENTLY HAVE
DIFFERENT APPROACHES ON FACING
RACE WITH THEIR CHILDREN, THEY
SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE THAT CHANGE
CAN ONLY HAPPEN IF THEY DO AS
THEY GET OLDER THEY WILL
CONFRONT THE HARD ISSUES THAT
WILL HAVE TO SIT DOWN AND TELL
THEM ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS AND
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HUMANITY CAN
BE EVIL.
>> AND HERE'S THE WAYS THAT WE
CAN BE A FORCE FOR GOOD.
IT COMES BACK TO LOVE AND
EMPATHY LIKE YOU ACTUALLY.
>> THERE'S HOPE YOU HAVE A
GREAT OPPORTUNITY WITH YOUR
LIFE TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY
THAN HAVE BEEN DONE BEFORE YOU
ARE THANKS TO THOSE FAMILIES
FOR SHARING THEIR PERSONAL
STORIES WITH US.
WE DID CONSULT WITH A FEW
EXPERTS ON THIS TOPIC TO GET
THEIR TOP TAKEAWAYS FOR BEST
PRACTICES ON CONFRONTING RACE
WITH CHILDREN.
NO ONE DO SEE COLOR AND TALK
ABOUT RACE.
IT'S COMMON FOR ADULTS TO WORRY
THAT TALKING ABOUT RACE WILL
ENCOURAGE RACIAL BIAS IN
CHILDREN BUT TURNS OUT THE
OPPOSITE IS TRUE.
EXPERTS SAY JUST LIKE YOU
WOULDN'T WAIT TO TEACH SHARING
DON'T WAIT TO TEACH THIS TOPIC
NUMBER TO BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT
CHARITABLE WORK WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE
WHO DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU.
DON'T ASSUME IT HAS TO BE ABOUT
CHARITY.
THEY SUGGEST ASKING COMMUNITY
WHAT THEY NEED FIRST.
NUMBER THREE SPEAK UP WHEN YOU
HEAR SOMETHING RACIST OR
STEREOTYPICAL NOT SPEAKING UP
OR SAYING SOMETHING LATER SENDS
THE MESSAGE TO YOUR KIDS THAT
THEY SHOULD BE SILENT ABOUT
RACE AND THAT REINFORCES
RACISM.
NUMBER FOUR TAKE ACTION.
OUR EXPERT TIFFANY POINTED OUT
IT COULD BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE
AS GOING TO A DIFFERENT PARK OR
A DIFFERENT LIBRARY OR YOU
COULD DO SOME LETTER WRITING TO
A LAWMAKER OR PARTICIPATE IN A
PEACEFUL MARCH.
A NUMBER FIVE MODEL BEHAVIOR.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO ACKNOWLEDGE
WHEN YOU'VE MADE A MISTAKE YOU
SAID SOMETHING STEREOTYPICAL.
OR IF YOUR CHILD