EDUCATION MATTERS—SANFORD SCHOOL'S PRIVATE SCHOOL BLOG

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Kara Fontes and Jamy Haughey

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Recent Posts

Talking with Young Children about Race and Racism

Posted by Kara Fontes and Jamy Haughey on September 4, 2020 at 12:00 PM

Recent events refueling the Black Lives Matter movement have some parents asking how to facilitate or deepen conversations about race with their children. As parents ourselves, we understand the importance of normalizing conversations surrounding race with our youngest learners as we all strive toward being antiracists. Research shows that children as young as three months are able to discern faces of different races, and these children look at the race of the caregiver for a longer time than other races [Kelly et al, 2005]. Children as young as two years old use race to explain behavior [Hirschfeld, 2008]. By five years old, children show many of the racial attitudes of the adults in their culture. They have already associated some groups with higher status than others [Kinzler, 2016]. It is, therefore, never too early to have direct conversations with children about race, racism, and antiracism.

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Topics: Education, Parenting Tips, Diversity