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Free e-book from leading anti-racism training company reveals top 5 ways for parents to raise anti-racist children.
How to Be an Anti-Racist Parent: 5 Tips Every Parent Should Know
You don't use racial slurs. You teach your child to treat everyone equally. You expose your family to diverse cultures. That's enough to make sure your children don't grow up to be racists, right? "Not necessarily," says Carmen Van Kerckhove, co-founder and president of New Demographic, an anti-racism training company based in New York City.
"Most people think that racism is all about white hoods, burning crosses, and racial slurs. But racism is also about linking physical and intellectual abilities to racial differences. If you think about racism in this way, the truth is that all of us hold racist beliefs."
New Demographic has just released a free e-book called "How to Be an Anti-Racist Parent: Real-Life Parents Share Real-Life Tips." Here are the top 5 tips from the book:
- Your children will face racism, so prepare them for it. It's not unusual for children to hear their peers using racial slurs as early on as the first grade, even in the most diverse and open-minded communities. Don't assume that racism is a non-issue for your family.
- Don't be colorblind. "Everyone is the same to me. I don't even see color!" Being colorblind is not possible and it should not be your goal. As NAACP Chairman Julian Bond says, colorblindness means being "blind to the consequences of being the wrong color in America today."
- Make conversations about racism relaxed and frequent. Don't wait for A Very Special Moment to talk about race. Conversations about race should be as normal and casual in your family as discussions about "American Idol." In fact, "American Idol" can be a good starting point to talk about how people of color are portrayed in the media!
- Lead by example. Actions speak louder than words. If you tell your children they should accept everyone, regardless of race, but you only socialize with people from one race, what message do you think your child will absorb?
- Never stop dismantling your own racist beliefs. You can't lead by example if you don't work on yourself. Realize that you're not going to wake up one morning and be rid of all your racist beliefs. There are no shortcuts to becoming anti-racist. Be aware of your own biases and privileges, and never stop working to overcome them.
Download the e-book, an 11-page PDF file, at: http://www.newdemographic.com/parenting
New Demographic is an anti-racism training company that goes beyond diversity buzzwords to tackle the real issues behind race and racism. New Demographic's projects include:
- Addicted to Race, a podcast about America's obsession with race.
- Racialicious, a blog about the intersection of race and pop culture.
- Anti-Racist Parent, a blog for parents committed to raising children with an anti-racist outlook.
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2007 by AlternativeApproaches.com
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