In early 2021, the Minnesota Children's Museum offered a free online webinar for parents on how to talk with our children about racial injustice. It featured panelists Dr. Marietta Collins (director of behavioral medicine), Barb Fabre (CEO Indigenous Visioning), Dianne Haulcy (Senior VP at Think Small), and Dr. Katie Lingras (child clinical psychologist).

Why is it important to talk to our children about racism? “As early as six months old a child begins to recognize a race that is different than their caregivers and actually by about three years old we start developing implicit biases by about 5 or 6….For children of color they are already showing effects of racialized trauma as early as 7 years old, it's important because parents are often uncomfortable talking about race to each other so they are uncomfortable talking to their children about it and so it's important for parents to get their children comfortable talking about the because if they don't talk about it all the children are left with is to learn from the implicit biases of their caregivers in their environment without the context.” says Dianne Haulcy.

To keep these important conversations going, the Minnesota Children's Museum put together some tips for raising empathetic, race-conscious children, as well as a list of recommended resources for talking with kids about race and racism:

• Prepare by thinking about and begin to address your own feelings and experiences.

• Talk talk talk with your child, ask about their feelings and what they've seen and give small bites of information to start the conversation.

• Diversity: Make a point of visiting places where you will encounter people of different races and cultures.

• Read watch and discuss: Read books and watch videos that feature diverse people and cultures.

• Take a stand to make it clear that it is wrong to treat someone unfairly because of their race and acknowledge that racial Injustice exists while committing to work towards a better future.

https://mcm.org/talking-to-kids-racial-injustice/