A Word On Racism

It is so unfortunate that even from a young age, minority children have to learn about racism from first hand experience. For parents with kids lucky enough to not have the same exposure, it can be an understandably difficult decision to teach them about racism. On one hand, we are so eager to preserve their innocence and let them continue to believe they live in a perfect world. On the other, it is so important to educate them and ensure that they do not become part of the problem or even just stand idly by.

We encourage you to get comfortable having tough discussions with your children, especially ones pertaining to race. It will help them become more understanding of both the world we live in as well as the experiences of some of their friends. This will also challenge them and teach them real world lessons, like how unfair the world can be. Figuring out how to spark one of these talks can be challenging, so we compiled a list of books that you can read with your kids as a start:

Ages 0-2:

A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox

The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson

Ages 3-6:

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange and Kadir Nelson

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History by Vashti Harrison

Rosa Parks by Lisbeth Kaiser and Marta Antelo

Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano

Ages 7+:

Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Stephen Alcorn

Let's Talk About Race by Julius Lester

Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Be Malcolm X by Ilyasah Shabazz and AG Ford

My Hair Is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford and Eric Velasquez

Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, Ann Hazzard, and Jennifer Zivoin

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael Lopez

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged! by Jody Nyasha Warner and Richard Rudnicki

We March by Shane W. Evans