Children recognize and experience race at a young age and family is often the starting place where they learn racism or the tools to combat it.
The dinner table, a common place where racism is heard, is an opportunity to “practice breaking silence,” said Professor Jennifer Harvey, of Drake University. “My kids need to see me be willing to challenge racism.”
Parents should be approachable, engaging, willing to learn and model the behavior they want to instill in their children.
Many parents teach white silence or colorblindness because they weren’t equipped with the language to educate on racial injustice. However, not having the necessary conversation is not the solution, Harvey said.
Where white families might be able to avoid the topic, minority families cannot.
Harvey emphasized, “These are not issues they get to shrug off, their lives are at stake.”
According to Prof. Harvey, more white people have engaged in race conversations in 2020, and she hopes to see them continue to stand in partnership with minority leaders pushing for racial justice.
- Jennifer Harvey, Ph.D., professor and associate provost for campus equity and inclusion, Drake University
