Once again, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I’m posting a revised and expanded list of resources for talking with kids about the holiday and about race and racism in general.
Here are some sites and articles I’ve found thought provoking, from a variety of perspectives.
- Raising Race Conscious Children is a great site to put on your regular reading list, whose purpose “is to support parents and teachers who are trying to talk about race and diversity with young children.”
- Many of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches are now easily available on YouTube. Watch one (or part of one, or more than one) with your kids, if they’re old enough. Ask them what parts of the speeches resonate with them today, given their experience of the world.
- For younger kids, or even to refresh your own memory, check out National Geographic Kids’ page on Dr. King. It’s a simple timeline, but with actual photos of Dr. King throughout his life.
- Black Children’s Books and Authors shares a list of “10 Books to Celebrate M.L. King Jr. Day” for elementary, middle, and young adult readers.
- Black Girl Dangerous‘ Mia McKenzie offers “4 Things We Should All Teach Kids About Racism Right Now.” She observes, among other things, “anti-black racism isn’t just saying the N-word.”
- The New York Times’ KJ Dell’Antonia discusses “Talking About Racism With White Kids,” sharing links to many other articles, but also the story of conveying to her 13-year-old “the commitment that white people have to make to consider and combat racism, whether it’s overt or not.”
- Lifehacker’s Melanie Pinola gives us “How to Talk About Race with Your Kids,” gathering ideas from various parenting and psychology experts on “When to Talk to Your Kids About Race” and “How to Address Difficult Topics About Race and Encourage Inclusivity.”
- Mater Mea’s Meilan Carter-Gilkey responds to her son’s assertion in “‘I Want my Skin to be White’: How I Taught my Son to Love his Skin.”
- HapaMama’s Grace Hwang Lynch also addresses “When Your Kids Experience Racism,” starting with her own son’s experience. She expands on the topic in a post at The Mother Company, “Why You Need to Talk to your Kids about Race.”
- Mixed Up Mama offers “10 Things Every Parent Should Do When Raising Mixed Heritage Kids,” including “Talk About Racism”—and while this post isn’t about racism per se, it ties into her post on “Preparing for Racist Bullying at School” in which she writes, “What I hope more than anything though is that if it does happen, my daughters will be secure enough in who they are to be able to dismiss such comments as they would any other.”
- Jessica Valenti, a White mom, writes in “You Can’t Ignore Racism and Raise Anti-racist Children. You Have to Tackle it Head-on,” of encountering racism when reading her daughter a classic children’s book.
- Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs shares “What I’ve Learned About Race and Motherhood From Having a Son Who Can ‘Pass’ as White.”
- Teaching Tolerance’s Jonathan Gold, in “Teaching About Stereotypes 2.0,” talks more broadly about stereotypes from his perspective as a teacher—but his advice seems relevant for parents as well.
- To take action on what is becoming a national day of service, visit www.MLKDay.gov to find MLK Day volunteer opportunities near you. Bring your kids, if they’re old enough!
- Finally, President Obama’s MLK Day Proclamation makes a wonderful pairing with his Farewell Address for those seeking a little additional hope right now. Read it with your kids, including this part, which speaks to why we must both remember the origins of the holiday and carry its spirit onward:
Only by drawing on the lessons of our past can we ensure the flame of justice continues to shine. By standing up for what we know to be right and speaking uncomfortable truths, we can align our reality closer with the ideal enshrined in our founding documents that all people are created equal. In remembering Dr. King, we also remember that change has always relied on the willingness of our people to keep marching forward.
