"Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What (Colors) Do You See?"

“Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What (Colors) Do You See?”

by Sachi Feris I have been reading the book, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?” by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle for over a decade to my kindergarten Spanish students (“Oso pardo, oso pardo, que ves ahi?”)….

It’s time to make race talk more common and less awkward

It’s time to make race talk more common and less awkward

by guest blogger Brigitte Vittrup, Ph.D. Back in October I participated in one of the Raising Race Conscious Children webinars, and it was great to see the interest and willingness of parents (and a few teachers) to explore the issue…

In light of Spring Valley (Part One): Race, board books, and my 5-day-old baby

In light of Spring Valley (Part One): Race, board books, and my 5-day-old baby

by Sachi Feris I often get comments from readers of Raising Race Conscious Children, who have babies or young, pre-verbal children. These parents tell me that they are interested in this work, but feel it is a little early to be talking about race. This is not meant as a defensive posture…

Why I use the words ’Black’ and ‘White’ versus ‘brown’ and ‘peach’

Why I use the words ’Black’ and ‘White’ versus ‘brown’ and ‘peach’

by Sachi Feris In Raising Race Conscious Children’s interactive workshops, participants practice explicitly naming race. I have gotten a lot of questions about the utility of using the words “Black” and “White” as part of the strategy to name race…

How to help children feel it is “all right” to ask questions about differences

How to help children feel it is “all right” to ask questions about differences

by Sachi Feris When I was little, my parents had friends with a daughter named Emily who had suffered brain damage during childbirth. As a result, Emily could not sit up or talk. I remember, when we visited, feeling uncomfortable…

Mother’s Day Action Toolkit for Raising Race Conscious Children

SURJ MOTHER’S DAY ACTION TOOLKIT

Raising Race Conscious Children is honored to have partnered with Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) to create this Mother’s Day Action Toolkit. Below, you will find book suggestions and talking points/questions you can ask your children as you take action for racial justice on Mother’s Day.

I am White. My daughter is White. My granddaughter is White. And we talk about race.

I am White. My daughter is White. My granddaughter is White. And we talk about race.

by guest blogger Connie Carter I am White. My daughter is White. My granddaughter is White, and we all live in Maine, one of the Whitest states in the Union. When I think about raising a race conscious grandchild under…

My Baby Definitely Sees Race

My Baby Definitely Sees Race

by Sachi Feris My daughter has been playing with my Fisher Price vintage people from the 1970’s since she was about a year old. My mom had saved my figurines from my childhood but they were all White—so I went…

What I say about a children’s book when all the characters are White

What I say about a children’s book when all the characters are White

by Sachi Feris Among our children’s books, we have a dozen or so of my childhood favorites that my mom saved. One such classic is “Too Many Mittens” by Florence and Louis Slobodkin, published in 1958. This story is about twin…

Why I talk about race when I read with my toddler

Why I talk about race when I read with my toddler

by Sachi Feris Sometimes, I sit down to read a book with my two and half-year-old, and I ask myself if my race-conscious talk is overkill. “Do I have to talk about race every single time we read?” And I…