Anti-Racist Parenting

Resources for Raising Anti-Racist Kids

My partner and I believe that #BlackLivesMatter and that one of the most important contributions we can make to movements for social justice is raising our kids right.

We are committed to raising kids who are not afraid to take *action* in order to combat racism (in themselves, in their families, in their communities), and who believe in and will fight for equity, inclusion, and social justice.

For context: we are a multiethnic, multiracial, bilingual (Spanish/English), MexiRican family, living in one of the most diverse cities in the United States.

We know that combatting the anti-blackness that runs rampant within our Latinx communities will be central to the work we do as parents. We also know we must prepare our kids for the possibility that they might face discrimination or witness other loved ones facing discrimination.

About these Resources

I've compiled the resource guides and reading lists below to help us with our own Anti-Racist parenting work, and I share them here in the hopes they may be useful to you as well.
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​This list is a work in progress and is by no means exhaustive. 

As I read through these resources, some might be pulled. Also, I will definitely add more resources over time.

​Feel free to contact me if you know other links worth adding to this working guide.

Also, be sure to read my #BlackLivesMatter post for a compilation of poetry and other resources for adults.

Finally, ​feel free to share this page with others who might find it valuable.

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Resources / Guides

Start Here

• From Christian Cooper to George Floyd: A Letter to White Parents​
  "If you aren’t teaching your kid to be anti-racist, you are teaching them to be racist."

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​Books

• We Read Too (app featuring books by and about BIPOC)
• Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines

Basics

• 10 tips for teaching and talking to kids about race
• Anti-Racism For Kids 101: Starting To Talk About Race
• Anti-Racism 102: Why Not All Racial Discrimination is ‘Racism'​​
• The POC Families' Guide for Talking about Racism
• A White Families' Guide for Talking about Racism

Additional Resources

• Resources for Talking about Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence
• Opportunities for White People in the Fight for Racial Justice: Your Children
• How to talk to kids about racism: An age-by-age guide​
• Talking to Kids about Racism, Police Brutality, and Protests (age by age)
• 6 Elements of Social Justice Education (self love & knowledge; Respect for Others; Issues of Social Injustice; Social Movements & Social Change; Awareness Raising; Social Action)
• How White Parents Can Use Media to Raise Anti-Racist Kids​

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Book Lists

Not all children's books featuring BIPOC are created equal. While the book lists below all seem promising, I have not read every book on these lists and cannot say they are all quality books. Before choosing which books to share with your own littles, I highly recommend reading: "8 tips for choosing 'good' picture books featuring diverse, BIPOC characters."

Diversity & Representation

• 13 Books for Young Children that Feature Protagonists of Color​
• Diverse Leveled Reading for the Classroom

Black Lives Matter

• Black Lives Matter Book List (children through adult)
• Black lives Matter: A Reading List for Children and Families
• ​31 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance​

Social Justice
While the main focus of this list is providing resources for raising anti-racist kids, our family is also committed to raising Feminist kids, and kids who value equity, inclusion, and who fight for social justice in all its forms. The book lists below address some of those larger social justice threads.

• Board Books for Social Justice (Li Yun Alvarado's Bookshop)
• Books in Spanish that Deal with Race, Struggle, Oppression, and the Continuous Fight

• 15 Picture Books About Social Justice and Human Rights
• Children’s Books For Upstanders: Civil Disobedience & Disrupting Injustice​
• 40 Picture Books for Young Activists
• 40+ Children's Books About Human Rights & Social Justice​

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Mind Your Follows
​(All Parenting Coaches are not Created Equal)

Actively seek out Parenting coaches aligned with your values, especially BIPOC Parenting Coaches.

Latinx Parenting provides a list of BIPOC coaches to follow and connect with:

• in this IG Post: Amplify Black Parenting Advocate Voices
• at the end of this blog post: "Parenting World So White: An Open Letter to White Parenting Experts on Privilege & Allyship" 

The above might seem obvious, but I had to learn the hard way.

I personally had a terrible experience in The Parenting Junkie's paid membership.

The leadership displayed defensiveness, dismissiveness, tone policing, silencing, spiritual bypassing, and gaslighting -- all using group guidelines as a crutch to silence voices raising difficult questions about parenting in relation to race and racism. Several folks were removed from the group and many more left. I was given a timely refund, so that's something.

I suspect TPJ is not the only coach with blind-spots, biases, and/or resistance to difficult but necessary conversations. So be mindful about the ways in which your coaches align (or don't) with you and your family's values, and engage accordingly.

At the end of the day, I took the valuable information I learned about play, but I was ultimately relieved that I didn't contribute financially to such a toxic environment that presented itself as "peaceful."

I also got a poem out of  the experience: "To the White Parenting 'Expert'" was published in a special section in the July 2020 Issue of L.A. Parent.

I've learned my lesson and will be much more discerning about who I support and pay moving forward. I hope you'll do the same.