The problem with “Curious George”

The problem with “Curious George”

by Sachi Feris The Spanish version of the original “Curious George” found its way to our bookshelf via hand-me-downs and my three-year-old daughter discovered it after diligently searching for a “new, new, new book that I’ve never, ever read.” It’s…

A messy conversation with my three-year-old about the history of slavery and #BlackLivesMatter

A messy conversation with my three-year-old about the history of slavery and #BlackLivesMatter

by Sachi Feris I have been talking about race and racial justice with my daughter since she was a baby, not worrying too much when my commentary may have been over her head. I wanted her to hear my words…

“Are you a boy or a girl?”: Helping young children think through gender

“Are you a boy or a girl?”: Helping young children think through gender

by guest blogger Katie Schaffer I’m a queer woman with short hair who often wears button ups and slacks. (I use the word queer to talk about myself because it provides space for the recognition that both gender and sexuality…

The problem with my White son believing that "everyone is equal"

The problem with my White son believing that “everyone is equal”

by guest blogger Danielle McDonald Today I read a post on Urban Cusp’s Facebook page stating, “White parents there is work to be done and you have a critical role to play.” This was posted above a tweet that had…

“Charity” is not enough: Why I want my daughter to be an activist

“Charity” is not enough: Why I want my daughter to be an activist

by Sachi Feris As a teacher in various New York City private schools, I always felt uncomfortable about the endless drives for “charity” intended to “help other people.” Rarely, were students helped to see these “others” as real people with…

What Malala taught my two-year-olds

What Malala taught my two-year-olds

by guest blogger Melissa Le I am a classroom teacher in a pre-school in Brooklyn, NY. I am Vietnamese-American—my parents are from Vietnam. For most of the children in my class, this is their first time in a school environment….

Talking About Bi-Racial Families with My Daughter, Raising Race Conscious Children

Talking about bi-racial families with my daughter

My daughter has been playing with her vintage Fisher Price people on a daily basis since she was about a year old.

In one routine game, she puts the “children” (who are slightly shorter) in a circle and sings the “goodbye song.” Then, each“adult” (a slightly taller figure) picks a child up from school. When she first started playing this game, she would assign adults to children randomly, almost never putting them in the same pairs, and with no consideration to their physical appearances. The only thing she was emphatic about was that every child had to be paired with one adult.

What I do when I confuse two people of color (and what I say to my daughter)

What I do when I confuse two people of color (and what I say to my daughter)

by Sachi Feris When my daughter was about a year-and-a-half, we were standing outside of our building and my daughter pointed to a boy about 30 feet away and asked me, “Julien?” referring to a friend from her daycare. This…