{"id":1744,"date":"2023-06-26T14:05:30","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T14:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/?page_id=1744"},"modified":"2023-06-26T16:47:24","modified_gmt":"2023-06-26T16:47:24","slug":"building-racial-literacy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/building-racial-literacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Racial Literacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"We Are All Special: Newark Primary Against Racism\" width=\"474\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WbXOZyqb034?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We are all special: Talking to children about race and racism<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Racism is a hard topic and it can be especially tough to bring up with children due to the negative feelings it brings up. However, as the parents, guardians and trusted adults in their lives, we have a responsibility to help them feel safe discussing difficult things. According to parenting writer Katherine Lee, \u201cembracing diversity and acceptance allows kids to absorb their world with curiosity, self-assurance, and kindness.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> But where to start?<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Examining our own thoughts about race<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is helpful to begin by examining our own feelings about race. If you have experiences witnessing or being the target of racism, how did\/does this make you feel? Similarly, if you have any internal challenges around race or have recognised bias in yourself, this is a good time to think honestly about that, but without shame. Children are incredibly perceptive and will mirror adults\u2019 behaviours so noticing if we treat others differently because of race will help us to address that for ourselves and children who look up to us.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Start, and continue, the conversation<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Although it may seem like a subject for older children, according to EmbraceRace, children can show signs of racial bias as early as four years old. With this in mind, the earlier you are able to speak about it in a positive, safe way at home, the better.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bringing up the topic proactively helps to signal that race is not a \u2018bad\u2019 word and that your child can come to you with their questions and thoughts. Asking open-ended questions can encourage them to elaborate on their feelings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Acknowledge gaps in knowledge<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">None of us have exhaustive knowledge about different races and backgrounds, but it can be frightening to enter into a conversation without having all the answers. If a child asks you about something that you don\u2019t know about, PBS Teacher\u2019s Lounge recommends giving \u201cacknowledge[ment to] a child\u2019s questions and observations, even if you [&#8230;] feel uncomfortable.\u201d They suggest responses, such as: \u201cI\u2019m so glad you brought this up, let\u2019s talk more about it when we can sit down together,\u201d and \u201cI love that you are curious about this and I don\u2019t have all the answers right now, but we can learn together.\u201d<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. When you have found out more about that topic, returning to your child with an answer shows them that this curiosity is appreciated and a good thing, and that you see the conversation as important. It also demonstrates that the route to understanding is to take the time to learn something instead of going with assumptions.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learn together<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Developing racial literacy and broader cultural awareness can be a journey you and your child(ren) take together. Embracing your own cultural identity and racial background is a great opportunity to discuss other racial backgrounds and highlight the importance of this part of identity for all people. Getting involved with activities that celebrate cultures and races outside of your own will help children to see difference as a positive thing and understand the importance of respecting others\u2019 backgrounds and lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Further reading<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">General resources for speaking to children about race<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verywellfamily.com\/teaching-kids-about-race-and-cultural-diversity-621099\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How to Talk to Kids About Race and Cultural Diversity<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; Katherine Lee<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/education\/blog\/10-tips-on-talking-to-kids-about-race-and-racism\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10 Tips on Talking to Kids About Race and Racism<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; PBS Teachers Lounge<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.embracerace.org\/resources\/teaching-and-talking-to-kids\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">10 tips for teaching and talking to kids about race<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; EmbraceRace<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcross.org.uk\/-\/media\/documents\/get-involved\/teaching-resources\/talking-to-children-about-race-and-racism-zip.zip?sc_lang=en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Document] Talking with children and young people about race and racism<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; Red Cross<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How to talk to children of different ages about race<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/health.choc.org\/talking-to-children-about-race-and-racism-an-age-by-age-guide\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talking to children about race and racism: An age-by-age guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; CHOC<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/entry\/how-white-parents-talk-kids-race_l_5ed522dbc5b6a2704f44c045\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How White Parents Can Talk To Their Kids About Race &#8211; An age-by-age guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; HuffPost<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talking to children about racist bullying<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nspcc.org.uk\/keeping-children-safe\/support-for-parents\/children-race-racism-racial-bullying\/#bullying\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you&#8217;re worried about a child experiencing racial bullying<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; NSPCC<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Talking to children about race as a white parent<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/06\/03\/869071246\/how-white-parents-can-talk-to-their-kids-about-race\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How White Parents Can Talk To Their Kids About Race<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; NPR<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/news.yale.edu\/2020\/06\/15\/its-never-too-early-talk-children-about-race\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s never too early to talk with children about race<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> &#8211; Yale<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are all special: Talking to children about race and racism Racism is a hard topic and it can be especially tough to bring up with children due to the negative feelings it brings up. However, as the parents, guardians and trusted adults in their lives, we have a responsibility to help them feel safe &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/building-racial-literacy\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Building Racial Literacy<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11128,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1744","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1744","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11128"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1744"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1744\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1748,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1744\/revisions\/1748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/in\/newarkprimaryschool2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1744"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}