Talking About Race

Cross-posted from resources for Talking About Race at MultiracialSky.com.

The key to talking with your child—or anyone—about race is the same key to discussing any complex subject: openness. Start an open dialog with your child about race early in their life. Make it a comfortable subject of conversation—for you, and for your child.

WORDS: Find descriptive words you are comfortable using. Check out the MultiracialSky Glossary for expanded definitions of 60 race-related terms, including 30 heritage-affirming words used today to describe people with a variety of racial and ethnic heritages.

COLORS: Start with words describing color such as brown or tan, or the colors of foods. The Colors of Us [below] has wonderful descriptive color words.

IDENTIFIERS: Teach your children words they can use to identify themselves, and terms people with other heritages use to identify themselves. (Examples: multiracial, Amerasian, Latina.)

RACE AND ETHNICITY: Talk with your child about names for different racial and ethnic heritages. The descriptions and words you use may evolve and change over time, or as the socially predominant terms evolve. (Examples: African American, Black American, Native American, European American, Asian American, Mexican, White, Black, Cuban, Irish)

HUMAN RACE: When talking about race in scientific terms, the fact remains that there is only one human race. This is a fact and statement we should equip our children with. However, especially as parents, we must also recognize that the societal construct of different and distinct races affects everyone.

BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

The Colors of Us
Written and Illustrated by Karen Katz

The perfect book to begin the conversation with your child about skin color. Uses positive language to discuss the limitless variety of tones of the color brown.

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Skin Again
Written by bell hooks, Illustrated by Chris Raschka

Poetic words accompanied by beautiful paintings. This book conveys a strong message that you cannot know who someone is simply by looking at them.

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All the Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color
Written by Katie Kissinger, Photographs by Wernher Krutein

Simply explained scientific history of where and how humans get their skin color. In English and Spanish. NOTE: Multiracial families are presented as atypical following these two sentences: “Usually people with light skin have children with light skin. People with dark skin usually have children with dark skin.”

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All the Colors of the Earth
Written and Illustrated by Sheila Hamanaka

Flowing text paired with paintings of children of all skin tones. Multiracial children and interracial couples shown.

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Shades of Black
Written by Sandra L. Pinkney, Photographs by Myles Pinkney

Photographs and positive language show the variety of skin color, eye color, and hair texture present in children with Black American heritage.

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Amazing Grace
Written and Illustrated by Mary Hoffman

Clearly narrated story of an imaginative girl who overcomes classmates’ limitations of her because of her skin color and gender.

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BOOK RESOURCES FOR ADULTS–For thinking and talking about race and racism

A People’s History of the United States
By Howard Zinn

The portion of American History missing from traditional textbooks. The U.S. history of women, African Americans, Native Americans, immigrants of all nationalities, the working class and the poor.

Purchase from Amazon

Everyday Acts Against Racism
Edited by Maureen Reddy

A collection of essays by parents (mostly mothers) raising children of color. Some of the authors are multiracial.

Purchase from Amazon

Some of My Best Friends
Edited by Emily Bernard

Deep, well-crafted essays about interracial friendships by 16 writers.

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White Like Me
By Time Wise
White privilege and race in the United States–past and present–artfully explained and deconstructed by a White man from the South. This book is both life-changing and humorous.

Purchase from Amazon

Homeschool ~ May/June 2008

Clearly, this was a big travel segment of our ’school’ year. There are also fewer notations of things we talked about (because my record-keeping was sporadic). By the time I filled in the kids’ activities–sometimes weeks later–I was relying heavily on the activities noted on our family calendar and the ‘photo documentation’ of our downloaded digital camera files. Those conversations, concepts explained, and words defined–they’re still happening, but I have to note them almost daily to remember. My head is full these days…

• Watch high school girls’ lacrosse games
• Play with friends
• Asian Festival at the college, including Taiko drumming, Writing in Chinese (Jaja), listening to stories, and baseball with college students (Rico)
• Play at the playground: at least four different playgrounds
• Biking: two playgrounds, one park, around Skytop Lake (Rico), ocean boardwalk, gravel road, and grandparents’ paved driveway
• Define ‘Anniversary’
• Visit the Library: in two states
• Make books: write story/words and draw pictures
• Help Daddy rototill the garden
• Fill up new sandbox
• Attend birthday parties
• Talk about Border Collies and other working dogs
• Plant beans in the garden
• Read out loud
• Cut paper dominoes out of Ladybug magazine and play game
• Jump on a trampoline
• One-week trip to Florida
• Two half-days in Washington, D.C., including riding on the mall carousel, the Air and Space Museum, and the Washington memorial
• Fly a kite
• Swim: in five pools, two lakes, and the ocean
• Paddle ball on the beach
• Skim-boarding
• Visit the Tampa Sciencenter and the local Sciencenter
• Play football in the ocean (Rico)
• Shop for food and deliver it to local food shelf
• Visit art museum; exhibits include masks of Sri Lanka and the art of W. David Powell
• Finish new ‘K’ general skills workbook: 350 pages (Jaja)
• Start new ‘Grade 1′ math workbook (Jaja)
• Work on general skills workbook and ‘K’ math workbook (Rico)
• Hike to the top of a mountain with Dad: more than five miles, with an elevation gain of 1,600 feet
• Play catch and baseball
• Slip ‘n’ Slide
• Play with playdough
• Run in half-mile kids’ race
• Jump off pool diving board and swim to side unassisted
• Puzzles and Legos
• Five-day visit at grandparents’ house
• Help cook meals, including cutting vegetables and fruit
• Scooter
• Walk and train grandparents’ new puppy
• Garden and weed
• Learn how to use a pocket knife
• Measure, cut, and twine string on sticks to support growing bean plants
• Visit Mystic Aquarium, including Sea Lion show, bird exhibit, feed parakeets, and watch three Beluga whales being trained
• Go to Children’s Cheering Carpet Project
• Pick strawberries: domestic and wild
• Catch crabs
• Play guitar
• Visit friend’s farm, including cows, baby chickens and turkeys, grown chickens, and three acres of vegetables and flowers
• Learn how to use a hanging trapeze: put feet over bar and pull self to sitting (Jaja)
• Four-day trip to the Poconos to celebrate great-grandma’s ninetieth birthday
• Play with cousins
• Golf: mini-golf and putting green
• Lawn bowling
• Ping-pong
• Rock climbing: reach the top of a 40-foot wall (Jaja)
• Play kickball
• Dress up and pretend

Photo: Jaja’s playdough pig