Kids, Race, and Racism: Readings and Resources
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.
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Children’s Books with LGBT Parents of Color
I wrote recently about a new Kickstarter campaign by Flamingo Rampant, which will launch a book club for new LGBTQ and two-spirit picture books, committed to making half of them by and about people of color. I was happy to see the project mentioned at Slate — but the article incorrectly says that the last children’s book featuring same-sex parents who are not White was Asha’s Mums, published in 1990. That’s not true. Although the number is small, and we desperately need more, there have been a few.
A Lesbian Mom Shares Her Transracial Adoption Story
Kera Bolonik, a White lesbian mom, has written a must-read piece about adopting a Black son, in which she reflects on race, difference, assimilation, community, and more.
For Martin Luther King Day: Race, Parenting, and Representation
For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it seemed appropriate to mention two recent Internet postings that highlight issues of race and parenting.
“Moms Get Real About Race in America”: Read the Posts!
In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington this week, MomsRising.org has published a blog carnival, “Moms Get Real About Race in America.”
Racial Justice and LGBT Parenting
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the seminal civil rights rally and site of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, organized in large part by Bayard Rustin, a gay Black man. The fight for racial justice is far from over in this country, even as the fight for LGBT equality picks up steam — and the two movements, while not identical, are nevertheless interwoven. Here are a few items of late that touch on the intersection of race and LGBT parenting.
Diversity in Children’s Book Covers
Since we’re talking more than usual about books this week (it being Banned Books Week), I wanted to expand the conversation beyond just LGBT-inclusive children’s books, and point out some very good posts about racial and ethnic diversity in children’s books—specifically related to the covers of such books. It’s easy to quote the proverbial lesson about books and covers, but the reality is a bit more complex.
The New Amtrak Ads Through a Racial Lens
In my post yesterday about the new Amtrak ads, I mentioned that it was good to see same-sex parents of color in the media. In discussing the ads with a friend and educator who is Black and a lesbian, however, I came to realize my White perspective was only giving me part of the story.
“Invisible” Black Lesbian Families Made Visible
Invisible Families: Gay Identities, Relationships, and Motherhood among Black Women, by UCLA sociologist Mignon Moore, is arguably the most groundbreaking work on LGBT parenting published in recent years. Moore gives us one of the few in-depth looks at lesbians of color, showing how race and class influence their self-perceptions, relationships, and family creation. Her work
Family Racism
Here is the eighth in my series of quotes from Who’s Your Daddy? And Other Writings on Queer Parenting. I’ll be running them for a couple of weeks courtesy of the book’s editor, Rachel Epstein. I’m choosing the quotes I feel are most intriguing and thought provoking; I don’t always agree with the sentiments, but