Celebrating Black History Month

During February Club 45 is recognizing Black History Month with a variety of activities from an African American Freedom Quilt Challenge to an African American History Museum Virtual Field Trip! Club 45 teachers are excited to bring a new element to our program for the next month!
We realize that these activities will potentially bring about conversations both in the classroom and at home regarding race and racial differences. It is important that we remember that choosing to talk about race or racial differences is not a choice that some families can make; some children are inevitably learning about it by confronting these topics daily.

At parenttoolkit.com they outline six steps of “How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism.” Below are quick tips that can help:

1. Actually talk about it. Kids are naturally curious. Chances are you are more nervous than they are.

2. Set the example. Be comfortable having these conversations with others.

3. Help your child navigate their curiosity. Remember that it is okay not to know—you and your child can learn the answers to questions together.

4. Make it relatable. Children naturally recognize fairness. Showing them that racism is unfair is important—show them that they can be a part of the solution, in fact you can be a part of this together!

5. Be open about addressing mistakes. We all make mistakes! Children need to know that they need to listen to others when a misunderstanding occurs. We can make changes to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

6. Be an advocate. The world is not getting less diverse. Other voices need to be heard as much as our own!

Talking about race is not racist. It is okay—and important. From a young age, children may have questions about racial differences and parents must be prepared to answer them.