I’ve been quiet on social media lately.
Quiet because I’ve been confronted with my lack of awareness about white privilege and racism. And it has made me uncomfortable. Quiet because I’ve been listening and reflecting more than writing and talking. Quiet mostly because I’ve found the noise online overwhelming, and I’ve needed to step back from it.
George Floyd’s death shook me out of my racial ignorance. The wave of outrage in the days that followed his murder pushed me to engage with pain, stresses and dangers faced by so many black families because of racism. Pain I had not really emotionally connected with before. It caused me to question if I have unknowingly been or am part of the problem, and to look at what I can proactively do to be part of the solution.
These are some of the resources that I have come across or found helpful as I’ve committed to invest time in educating and myself and my children on racism, diversity, and loving well.
Books For Adults
- I learn by reading and listening to other people’s stories. I’ve started doing that, slowly, with a book everyone seems to be talking about, Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. It’s been an eye-opening read thus far. I grabbed a copy on Kindle, as I gather it is out of stock in most places. I’ll add any others I find useful to this page as I come across them.
Books For Children
- I’ve ordered The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles for my daughters. It tells the story of a six year old black girl called Ruby ordered to attend an all-white school, and the ensuing outrage that surrounds that. I picked it because I thought my three, five and nearly seven year old could identify with the character’s age and school context.
- We’ve used some of the stories from Everyone a child should know by Clare Heath-Whyte to start the conversation about race and racism around the breakfast table.
- I’ve got my eye on Debbie Allen’s Dancing in the Wings because my girls LOVE ballet.
- The girls delighted in single one of Mary Hoffman’s Grace books that we were able to find at the library, especially Grace at Christmas because it also featured a ballerina. I’d like to add a few of her titles to our home library.
- Ultimately, our definitive guide remains the Bible. It is our roadmap for loving well, living intentionally, discerning truth, goodness and beauty, and discipling our children.
Other booklists I’ve saved for future reference when planning our homeschool year are below.
- Books that Cultivate Courage and Compassion, curated by the Peaceful Press. A great list of books about people who have overcome difficulties in their life, and books about seeing the best in people.
- Books that Help You Talk About Racism, curated by Read Aloud Revival.
- Diverse Books That Celebrate the Everyday, curated by Read Aloud Revival.
I’m aware that these are American. I’d love to find living books with great illustrations that would be able to bring British Black history stories to life. If you have any suggestions, please pop them in the comments below.
Podcasts
- Talking to Young Children About Race: I learned a lot listening to Jasmine Bradshaw of First Name Basis share her thoughts and strategies for talking to young children about race on the Simple Families podcast.
- George Floyd: Doing Justice, Loving Kindness, Showing Mercy: Sally Clarkson shares her thoughts on justice through the lens of the life of Christ.
If you’ve come across something helpful that you have enjoyed or been challenged by, please pop them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
Let’s keep listening, learning and loving as best we can.
Lindsay x
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