This is How One Staten Island Mom Talks to Her Kids About Race

We now have a new historical day in our calendar: May 25, 2020—the day George Floyd was killed by police. The resulting current events are impossible for anyone to ignore. And our children are also watching the events unfold—on every media channel and in every household. So, how do we as parents address this? 

As a Black woman, I do not have the answers, nor do I know the correct way to handle this situation.

I was raised in a home where all my friends were accepted and loved as long as they were good and loved us back. We were warned about bad behavior and making bad choices that would affect our future—but when our parents discussed this, they never included the subject of race. We were kids and were not made to bear the burden of race. Conversations about race only happened when tragedies like George Floyd’s death occurred.

Sadly, these types of conversations are still happening. But these conversations with my children began earlier than they did when I was growing up because my husband is White and I am Black. Plus, our children are fraternal twins and are in the 25th percentile of one being a darker shade than the other. While there was no way we could avoid the conversation of race altogether, we didn’t address racism and racial inequality until the twins were in second grade. It was then that they started reading books about oppression, and I didn’t want them to feel badly about their ancestors.

When we started having conversations about race, we went beyond the books and looked at our own family and friends. We spoke about economic differences, inheritance, the American dream, culture, art, education, and lifestyle. These are major topics we continue to discuss when addressing the differences in the way people of color are treated.