Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913

Talking to Kids About Race

Here are some facts about the events in Charlottesville, Va., as they have unfolded over previous weeks:

A rally, organized by known white supremacist blogger Jason Kessler, was held in Charlottesvile last week. The idea to hold the rally was sparked by the scheduled removal of a confederate statue (the statue was being moved, not demolished). Kessler told The Associated Press before the event that it was “about an anti-white climate within the Western world and the need for white people to have advocacy like other groups do.”

The crowd included Ku Klux Klan members, skinheads and members of various white nationalist factions. Many were heavily armed. Some flew Nazi flags. They chanted anti-semitic sentiments. In the light of the tiki torches they held, their faces were uncovered. I was heartbroken to see men -- lots and lots of white men -- about my age.

Counter-protesters came out to show support for the people targeted by the far-right marchers. Tensions rose, some violence was sparked, and in the end 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr., seen earlier in the day shouting with the far-right protesters, drove  ran a car through the counter-protesters. He injured 19 people and killed 32-year old Heather Heyer.

How did these young people get that way? What happened to this man much younger than myself that made him hate people different from him? I saw a clip of a conversation with his mother, who seemed just as confused as us. Her statements sound like questions she’s asking the camera, “I thought the rally was about Trump … Trump’s not a white supremacist … ?”

Here’s some crazy news: Valley County is mostly white people. For the most part everyone here is kind, caring and generous. We would never think of our population as having racial bias. However, racism is carried around in all people. It’s normal to think that biases are learned from parents or friends, and that young people and children won’t pick up on them on their own -- but recent research shows that is false. In fact, it’s the opposite.

I’m not a parent, and when I watch the news it becomes harder to imagine ever becoming one. So, I’ve been reading parenting websites and listening to interviews with child psychologists. First, they say, kids need to feel safe. Keeping them away from traumatic images is vital. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t answer questions they might have.

Because children want to have an answer to every question, if we don’t help them understand why someone looks or dresses or worships differently from us, they can come up with the wrong answer. Families of color talk about race out of necessity, while white families tend to ignore it. We’d like to think this leaves kids a “blank slate,” but  it’s simply not true.

It is also key to consciously make your child’s world diverse. This is difficult in communities like ours, but keeping in mind the positive effects of interaction with other cultures will go a long way. I know our mission trips to Chicago and Milwaukee were a huge learning experience for me and my group. The communities we served and the people we were worked next to were of all different backgrounds. How would I have experienced that if I hadn’t gone on those trips?

Growing up in Glasgow, we were taught about the importance of racial equality. The fight isn’t over, obviously. If we want to help solve the problem of racism, we -- white people -- have to be proactive against it. And this starts with educating our young people.

 

Reader Comments(0)