“Who is directly impacted?”; Learning to be an effective White activist with my nine-year-old

“Who is directly impacted?”; Learning to be an effective White activist with my nine-year-old

by guest blogger Sarae Pacetta I’m the White, cisgender (defined as when one’s gender corresponds to their assigned sex) mother of a White child, and a preschool teacher in Columbus, Ohio. I live with my partner and our nine-year-old, who…

In honor of May Day: Challenging conversations about domestic work

In honor of May Day: Challenging conversations about domestic work

by guest blogger Makeba Sergeant Rasin When my son was younger, talking about race felt simple. I’d read “Whose Knees Are These,” with my one-year-old and then coo, afterwards, about how beautiful his brown skin is; his brown knees, toes,…

Interrupting Whiteness with my White family

Interrupting Whiteness with my White family

by guest blogger Shannon Cofrin Gaggero I am a White, cisgender woman, married to a White, cisgender man and we have two White children. I started naming race with my kids about two years ago, when my son was three and…

Trump and the Muslim ban: A conversation with my eight-year-old

Trump and the Muslim ban: A conversation with my eight-year-old

by guest blogger Michael Loeb My daughter is eight years old and lives with me, Michael Loeb, a NYCDOE administrator, and Julia Davis, a civil rights attorney, in Brooklyn. This conversation was part of an ongoing attempt to help my…

Lessons on Social Justice Parenting and Protest from My Kindergartener

Lessons on Social Justice Parenting and Protest from My Kindergartener

by guest blogger Jardana Peacock The morning after the election of Donald Trump, I remember the heaviness in my body and heart. I had to tell my five-year-old, River, that Trump had been elected. River has accompanied my partner and…

My daughter asked me what Black Lives Matter meant. Here’s what I said…

My daughter asked me what Black Lives Matter meant. Here’s what I said…

by guest blogger Allison Kenny I am a White woman married to a Black woman raising a mixed race girl. We adopted her through the foster care system as a six-year-old. Conversations about race are something I am learning to…

Talking about slavery through a lens of resistance

by guest blogger Kesa Kivel  Never Give Up! Ama’s Journey to Freedom on the Underground is a free, coming-of-age historical fiction film set in the 1850s. The film provides excellent, well-researched content on slavery in the United States as well…

“Slavery was a long time ago;” An awkward moment at the grocery store

“Slavery was a long time ago;” An awkward moment at the grocery store

by guest blogger Sara Leo My daughter turned four a few months ago and we have recently begun talking about this country’s racial history in more specific terms. We have been using the book “Heart and Soul: The Story of…

Teaching resistance on the eve of the inauguration

by Lori Taliaferro Riddick The day after the election, my seven-year-old told his class that we were moving out of the country. Now, on the eve of the inauguration, he continues to have a lot of fear and anxiety about…

The Black Santa Claus at our local pharmacy

The Black Santa Claus at our local pharmacy

by Sachi Feris I am Jewish. I did not grow up with a Christmas tree, nor did I have Christmas tree envy, or wish for Santa Claus. Though Chanukah is often considered a “Hallmark holiday,” I have always loved watching…