Writer explains "white privilege" to her 7-year-old-son...

[itzamirakul]

I stumbled on this site while trying to access a short film on another site.

I was really impressed with the information available at this site...especially for parents and teachers.

I hope you will share the info with others because it is really valuable.

www.tolerance.org

Writer Elizabeth Bauchner explains "White Privilege" to her 7 year old son.
<snip>

I went on to explain in age-appropriate terms that our country was actually founded by white colonists who enslaved Africans and either killed Native Americans or moved them onto reservations. White people have been opening doors of opportunity for other whites ever since, I told him.
<snip>

"You have a lot of traditional privilege in this society, from your skin color and gender, to the fact that your parents and grandparents are educated, and your family has some money," I explained. "In that sense, I think you will be able to do whatever you want in life, but it's my personal opinion that people who have privilege should work to make society more equitable."
<snip>

It's not easy for whites to admit that we have privilege, and it's even harder to admit we have racial biases. The discussion is kept out of public debate, and white privilege simply is seen as the normal course of things. Some of us tell ourselves that everyone has equal opportunity these days, with the right to work and live wherever they choose. After all, the Civil Rights era took care of society's racial problems, right?

One way in which I have identified quantifiable financial privilege based on skin color is the fact that my father was able to move to the home of his choice in the late 1960s, which happened to be an all-white neighborhood in the Chicago suburbs. There is no doubt in my mind that African-Americans and other people of color were deliberately kept from purchasing homes in my neighborhood.

My father's ability to move to that neighborhood and start a new business, get a loan and grow his business through word of mouth all had a lot to do with his skin privilege. Sure, his abilities, his math and mapping skills (he was a land surveyor), and his dedication to working steady hours all played a role -- a big role -- as did the economy throughout the 1970s. But it's mainly because of his skin color that he was able to move so easily throughout the wealthier side of society, make connections and network, and acquire the means to comfortably support his wife and three children.

Other topics at this site:
ALK TO KIDS ABOUT... Black History Month Go

TALK TO KIDS ABOUT... Language Diversity Go

TALK TO KIDS ABOUT ... Music Video Images Go

TALK TO KIDS ABOUT... Racial Bias in Discipline Go

TALK TO KIDS ABOUT ... Emmett Till's Story Go


TALK TO KIDS ABOUT... Responding to Racist Comments Go

TALK TO KIDS ABOUT... Prejudice Go

TALK TO KIDS ABOUT ... Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott Go

PARENTING: Talk to Kids About Racism Go

also see: www.civilrights.org

[Catherine Vincent]

1. And another interesting thread!

Thanks again. :hi:

[wildeyed]

2. Great site.

You should cross post it in the parenting forum.

My kids are so little. I am not sure when it is appropriate to start talking to them about racism. We are white, but in a preschool that is diverse. So far there have been no questions about differences in skin color. For now I have been careful to monitor their exposure to media stereotypes, both gender and racial, but only talk to them about the issues when they bring it up. I dunno, maybe that is just another example of white privilege. We don't have to talk to our kids about prejudice at an early age because it is easy enough for us to ignore it......

So what age is a good age to begin conversations about racism?

[Brewman_Jax]

5. When they start noticing skin color differences

Get ready, it won't be long. Having seen it myself with my friend from college's kids, they notice skin differences as early as 8 or 9 years old. I was placed in "the box" by the white kids as early as 11 years old. (See the article "Crossing Social Boundaries").

The important thing is to be ready and talk to them.

[Broken_Hero]

3. Great reading...nt

[Brewman_Jax]

4. Great topics

:hi:

[JI7]

6. it's frustrating that so many people don't get this

how much our success and what we can do is based on the family we came from and the financial means we had.

you always see the ignornats bring up Colin Powell or Oprah or some other big name to try to claim everything is equal. are people that ignorant ?

[Brewman_Jax]

7. They are that ignorant

to help refute that claim, here's Tim Wise's recent article on that topic found at http://www.lipmagazine.org/~timwise/oprah.html