All Are Alike Unto God: Teaching Children About Racism
All Are Alike Unto God: Teaching Children About Racism
By Lila Harrison King
@lilaharrison_king
lilaharrisonking.com
I watch my beautiful boy every Sunday in his white shirt and tie, reverently prepare the sacrament. His older, equally handsome brother blesses it and hands it back over to him. He brings us the broken, blessed bread, and I bring it to my lips, renewing my covenants once again.
My son’s Black hands take the bread from my White ones. We are a transracial family created through adoption: a White mother, a White/Hispanic father, a Black daughter, and two Black sons. I often feel humbled to have a family whose outward appearance reflects that of the Lord’s eternal family. All different shades and hues yet, all equally loved.
In June, President Nelson publicly declared, “Let us be clear. We are brothers and sisters, each of us the child of a loving Father in Heaven. His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, invites all to come unto Him–black and white, bond and free, male and female” (2 Nephi 26:33). It behooves each of us to do whatever we can in our spheres of influence to preserve the dignity and respect every son and daughter of God deserves.”
Dismissing racism because we have not experienced it or have not witnessed someone else experiencing it, doesn’t mean it’s not real. We need to fight against the evil of racism. The most significant sphere of influence mothers have is in our homes. I offer the following seven ways mothers can teach their children about racism.
Talk about it
Talk about racism. It’s not a conversation to avoid or one that’s not important because you may not live in a diverse area. There are age-appropriate ways to explain what racism is. If you need help search out information online or in books. Children’s books are a great starter for that conversation. Talk about skin color. We don’t need to be color blind when it comes to skin. The Lord made us all in a variety of beautiful skin tones. When we don’t discuss skin color, it sends the unspoken message to a child that it’s something “bad.” Teach your child about melanin. Give them the correct words to talk about race.
Study
Study diverse history as a family together. There are rich and beautiful stories in Black history. It didn’t begin or end with slavery. Seek out learning about the history of all races and cultures. This is a lifelong, worthwhile pursuit.
Art in the home
Display pictures of Christ in your home that reflect a darker skin tone representing His Middle Eastern heritage. Also, consider displaying pictures and art from other races and cultures in your home.
Broaden your family’s perspective
Have a library of diverse children’s books in your home as well as diverse toys. Show your children movies and listen to music from other cultures. Explore various ethnic foods. Join in community multiculturalism celebrations. Travel to different places when feasible.
Friendships and relationships
Enjoy diverse friendships. When your children see that your friends are a mix of various races, they will naturally make friends with all people, too. Encourage your children to have friends and to date people of different races. Teach your children to stand up for others. If they see another person being mocked, called racist words, picked on, or bullied for any reason, teach them to find an adult and tell the truth about what happened.
Respect
Teach your children to listen to and learn from people of other races. We all have different experiences and perspectives in life; therefore, we can all learn from each other. Speak respectively to and about others of different races. Explain that we indeed are all brothers and sisters, even if we look different from one another.
Pray
Pray for our country that racism can be rooted out. Pray for direction in the best way to teach your children. Pray for those who carry the heavy burden of racism. Pray that we can all genuinely love one another. Let your children hear you praying for those things.
Our motherhood is powerful. The things we teach in our home affect not only our children but the generations to come after them. Let’s teach them kindness and mercy and love. Let’s teach them to stand up for justice. Let’s teach them empathy. Let’s teach them not to judge someone based on the color of their skin. Let’s teach them we all belong to each other. Let’s teach them all are alike unto God.