How to Address Racism and Injustice with Kids

Empathy. Perspective-taking. Conflict resolution. These skills are fundamental to social-emotional learning and are critical as we face the painful realities of race and social justice in America.

As therapists, educators, and parents we must have critical conversations with all the children (and adults) in our lives. Whether or not kids are bringing up issues about racism, they’re taking in information and are likely to have questions, concerns, and opinions. 

How can we help? We must be actively anti-racist. We can raise topics like bias, empathy, navigating conflict, and social justice. We can encourage children to be curious rather than judgmental about other people and to be kind. We can teach them that sometimes it’s necessary and ok to feel uncomfortable, or awkward in order to learn and open up to new ideas and people. We can also talk about what it means to be a bystander who watches without taking action versus an upstander who finds an appropriate response in the moment or after an incident occurs. As we discuss these important issues, we’re also teaching social-emotional skills that children can use throughout their lives.

Here at CW, we believe that it is our responsibility to foster inclusion and anti-racism practices in our students. Toward that end, we are actively working to incorporate culturally diverse materials and books for use with our students. Books that focus directly on racism are important, as are books that feature non-White main characters. The following lists  provide suggested reading materials for all ages that support conversations on race:  

Children's Books To Support Conversations on Race, Racism & Resistance

Kids Books That Talk About Racism 

One Love by Bob Marley 

Here you will find some resources for educators and parents to help promote conversations with children about race:

Resources for Talking About Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence With Kids

Building Resilience 

Teacher Accountability for Dismantling Racial Oppression

We have also developed a statement with additional resources and ways to take action on our website here.

As always, we welcome your thoughts and suggestions and look forward to engaging in critical conversations with you as we move forward together.