July 2020: Eat the Rainbow with Petaluma Bounty and Story Time with Colors of Spanish

Family Wellness Series - English

July 11^th at 10 AM: Eat the Rainbow with Petaluma Bounty

July 25^th at 10 AM: Story Time with Colors of Spanish

To watch, visit our Facebook page.

Teaching kids about racism is a tough subject, but an important one, nonetheless. A long history of hate and unfairness in our country has led to the injustice that so many of us experience every day, especially the Black community. Racism comes in many forms and has negative effects on the health of both children and adults. Racism is a form of toxic stress, meaning that it can disrupt healthy development and lead to poor health in the future. People of color experience these effects most profoundly, including children who witness acts of racial violence.

Children can see differences in faces and appearance from a very early age, but any positive or negative judgments towards one group or another is learned from the world around them—whether it’s from the skin color of their dolls, the people represented on TV, or the actions of family members. In other words: racial discrimination is not something children are born with. It’s learned from the world around them. That’s why it’s crucial to start conversations not only about race, but also racism, from a young age. It will be up to all of us to teach the principles of anti-racism to prevent the trauma of racism from affecting the next generation, and to promote healing for those experiencing it now.

This excerpt from PBS Kids captures it well:

“In this moment, we must choose to have confidence in ourselves and in our children — that we, and they, can handle tough topics and tough situations. We must, as parents, understand that our role is to be honest, specific, and trustworthy as we raise the next generation to confront racial injustice.”

Click here for the full article: How to Talk Honestly with Children about Racism.

Research shows that encouraging a strong, positive or ethnic identity and support from parents can help to protect kids from the negative effects of racism. Parents play an important role in building resilience in the face of racial discrimination, and also in raising kids to become allies to those who are treated unfairly. You can support your child by starting this discussion at an early age. Celebrate your family’s heritage and identity, and introduce your family to new cultures (books from the local library are a great way to do this!). Here is a list of resources that can help your family to build resilience and allyship: