Books About Diversity & Racism For Children
While an important conversation, it isn't always an easy one to have. Yep, we're talking about diversity & racism. Imagine, if adults can't bring themselves to have these difficult conversations, then it'll be even more difficult with a child. Depending on their age, they likely haven't even discovered "race" as a concept — kids are the ONLY ones that can legitimately get away with saying they don't see color — much less race-ism!
Over on my Instagram, I shared the story of the first time my daughter & I had to talk about race. While not the worst story — nothing happened to her — it was a heartbreaking moment for me as a parent.
Because of the context of the conversation, I was able to gently explain to her that we're all different, and those differences start with our skin...and that's okay. Without this, however, I don't know that I would've ever known how to (or been able to) have this conversation with my baby girl. Black, White, or any other race, at some point your child will come to the realization that what they see in your household isn't necessarily reflective of the outside world. So how do you start to have those conversations with them at a young age?
If your child is at the age where you're still reading to them and/or they're reading on their own, there are a countless number of books available — past and present — that make having the conversation of diversity and racism just a tad bit easier.
