How can we expect children to grow up being actively anti-racist, if we never talk to them about race and systemic white privilege? We can't leave it up to schools to do it because they don't. It's up to us to make sure that our children are being educated about racism and the realities of disparity in the world today. Telling them that they should be color blind and that race doesn't matter does them a disservice when it is clear from current headlines and continuing protests around the world that people are people are still very much judged by the color of their skin. Not to mention the terrifying reality that racism can be a matter of life and death.
More from MamásLatinas: How to talk to our children about racism
Talking about racism in an educated and informative manner when we ourselves have had little formal education on the topic is daunting and uncomfortable, to say the least. Fortunately, there are many books available to help parents broach the topic with their children and learn right along with them. If your children are young, you can read books to them from the beginning of their lives that will help them embrace diversity and recognize injustice.
If you're worried about whether your child is old enough to even be introduced to the topic, you shouldn't be. Studies have shown that it is important for babies to start learning about racial justice. Believe it or not, racial bias in babies can start as early as 6 to 9 months of age. Yes, that's incredibly young. So, no, it's never too early to start teaching your child how to be anti-racist, just like it's never too late. Please look through the following list of books we've compiled and share them with your children.