Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
I Have A Dream –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The I Have A Dream speech was given almost 57 years ago, yet this quote is still relevant today. It’s disheartening to know that every child in this country doesn’t have the same opportunities and justices, solely because of where they or their family comes from and/or the color of their skin. To me that makes it so important for us to inform our children on social bias and injustices so they will know better and Dr. King’s legacy can live on.
Before you have a history lesson on racism and inequalities, I think it’s best to know your child and their level of maturity. A good way to ease into it, is to see what they already know, or what they have learned in school. Another way is to give them visuals, with books, short videos or movies. The great thing about living in Atlanta, is there are a lot of museums, memorials, statues, etc. (free ones included) that you can take them to see, to better explain yourself.
According to edutopia.org, Elementary school is a ripe time to have these discussions, using appropriate language and non-bias lessons. It’s best to stick to facts, not fears. It can be easy to get emotional about some of the injustices that have and are happening in this country. The goal is for our children to want to be a part of the society that wants to make a change for equality and justice for all their friends, no matter what they look like or where they come from.
I will admit, I naively thought they would learn somewhat about stereotypes, discrimination and diversity in school. I asked my daughter if she was familiar with those terms and the answer was no. Reminding me that we can not rely on the school to teach our children everything.
Now, my daughter is only in first grade, so it may not be a topic that they feel first graders are mature enough to learn. My husband and I feel that Mila is ready to learn about some real topics. It’s important to us to give her the facts, but also to censor it so she’s not scared. After we talked to her about some stuff, she seemed interested and inspired to make a change, or as she said, “be a person in Black History.”
That made me feel like I was doing a good thing, as a parent. It’s hard to decide what we should and shouldn’t tell our children when so many instances can and will have an effect on them. Stay true to who you are, but if you know in your heart that you want a better world for your child, you have to be the first to inspire them.
*Feature photo, is an excerpt from I Have A Dream book, painted by Kadir Nelson
