Project II & III
Learning About Racial ldentity & Fairness
"You got eyes like Mei Ling," Anders says with interest to his Vietnamese teacher' ' ' "Hctw
dr.t peopte get their coktr?" asks 3%-year-old Heather' ' ' ' Abby (age 4') asks her teacher
nrutter-ctflactty, "lf I'rn Black and white, and Tiffany is Btack and white, why is her skin
darker?" . . . Chriskryher, a white 4%-year-old returning from a uacatictn ut the ocean,
worriedly a.slr.s lti.s te.acher, "Am I stitt White if my Qrms ore brownish?"
s these comments i l lustrate' young children are
aware, curious, and have feelings about those
physi t 'a l features that connet ' t to what our
society calls "race." Eye shape' skin color, and hair
fascinate chilclren ancl are the first aspects of racial
identity that they notice at the beginning of their
long racial socialization journey that starts in early
chilclhood ancl lasts through adulthood. Let's begin
by looking at what we mean by race, and the societal
realit ies within which Arnerican chilclren grow up'
The system of race and racism we have inherited The concept of. race is a socially defined construct
used as a way to fraudulently divide people into
groups ranked as superior and inferior. The scientif ic
consensus is that race in this sense has no biologi-
cal basis-we are all one race, the human race' What
the system of race does have is a long history in the
world as a tool to justify one group's mistreatment'
economic exploitation, and annihilation of other
groups. Throughout this history, racial groupings have
been based variously on tribal affi l iation, geography'
culture and language, religion, and/or physical attri-
butes. ln the United States, skin color and other phys-
ical characteristics have been, and continue to be, the
major grouping markers in a system of racism that
has ensurecl economic and other societal advantage
to Whites as a group. The earliest definit ions of racial
groups in colonial t imes focused on dehumanizing
two groups, "lndians" and "Africans" for the purpose
of stealing of the land from the indigenous people and
creating the "White/Black" divide to iustify slavery'
When first written, the U.S. Constitution counted
enslaved Africans as only three-fifths of a person and
clidn't count Native Americans (unless taxed) at all '
Arising from the work and struggles of mil l ions
of people over many years, and continuing today in
the ongoing work by people of every racial group to
encl all forms of racism, we have seen some major,
positive changes both in social attitudes and in the
law. Among these are passage of the l3th and l4th
Amendments to the Constitution, the 1964 and 1968
Civil Rights Acts, and perhaps most dramatically, the
2008 election of the first African American President'
Yet, the impact of race and racism continues to
powerfully influence the Iife prospects of America's
children. In every aspect of society, White children
are more likely to have access to resources that sup-
port healthy development and future success, such
as safe neighborhoods and good schools' Children
of color are still disproportionately living in poverty'
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Goals for Chi ld ren r Children wil l have accurate information about and feel comfort- able with their physical characteristics l inked to racial identity. (ABE Goal 1)
. Chi ldren wi l l fee l posi - tive, but not superior, about thei r rac ia l iden- tity. (ABE Goal l)
o Children wil l have accurate information about, and respect for, each other's individual physical characteristics ; and they wil l appreci- ate their shared humarr physical characteristics. (ABE Goal2)
o Children wil l demon- strate appropriate skil ls for identifying and chal- lenging misinformation and stereotypical ideas about "race." (ABE Goal 3)
. Children wil l develop nonbiased responses to racial differences and will demonstrate begin- ning skil ls for interrupt- ing biased behaviors and for creating a fair classroom environment. (ABE Goal4)
Children of color are more l ikely to be members of low-income families who cannot afford health insurance or primary doctors. They are more l ikely to l ive in environments where they are exposed to toxic conditions, and their families have less access to healthy food at the lower prices for similar food available to higher-income families (Annie E. Casey Foundation 2009).
As Tarah Fleming, director of a multiethnic education program, explains, while race is indeecl a societal, made-up system, racism continues. It is therefore premature to clecide not to talk about "race." Not talking about it cl6es not end a I-nrtful system sti l l very much in place. Instead of denying the term, we can uncler- stand its history ancl the way race works in accordance with access and power. Then we can begin to move toward new ways of talkinq abclut our ancesrry.
Racial identity is shaped from the outside and constructed from the inside In the United states, ra<:iol identity is a central social identity (alont with gen- cler, culture, and others). As such, it has reality ancl power in each of our l ives. From our birth, we receive a racial iclentity based on the racial iclentit ies clf our biological parents ancl on hclw the society in which we live clefines racial grclup- ings. Since the social-polit ical constructs of race ancl racial identity are systemic realit ies, we cannot clpt in and out clf thern. Regarclless of whettrer or hclw we want to be iclentif iecl by race, each of us continues to be subject tcl an externally clefined ancl imposed racial iclentity-and to receive either the societal aclvan- tages or clisaclvantages connectecl tcl our racial identity.
Hclwever, as adults, we clcl have ctroices about how we understancl ancl feel about our racial group membership-ancl the degree to which we identify witlr our racial group. (ln some cases, such as some people of nrultiracial or mixecl heritage, their sense of racial iclentity nray not match how clthers perceive them.) we also l-rave choices about lroa.r ac ect on our racial iclentity. Members of the White racial group can choose to believe in the rnyths of sulteriority that justify aclvantages ancl privileges to their rtroup ancl intenticlnally help to cgntinue the system of racisnl. Or they can reject ancl wclrk against its myttrs and institutional clynarnics in order to end the system of racism. Mernbers of groups targetecl by racism (people of utlor) can live as if the n'ryttrs of inferiority are true clescrip- tions of thentselves. Or they can reject those clamar{inq notions ancl work against the icleas and societal structures that create racial disadvantage for them.
People of one racial group can chclclse to incorporate cultural aspects frorn a different racial or ethnic group; for example, a white person can becone flu- ent in Spanish ancl choose to l ive in a neighbclrhoocl where Latino people are in the majority. But he cannot chclose tcl not be assignecl a White racial iclentity by the larger society or to not have available the advantages accorcled tcl Whites by the society. Conversely, a Black person may choose to l ive in a neighbor- hood where white people are in the majority ancl to take up their l i festyle, but the larger society sti l l wil l define her as Black and she probably wil l experience racial discrimination
Racial identity, then, is about how we are treated by the society's institu- tions and by other people and about how we come to understand, feel, and live our racial group membership. It is both what other people say about us and what we say about ourselves.
children gradually construct an internalized racial identity as they grapple with making sense of the relationship between their external experiences and their internal responses. Four interacting factors affect each child's racial identity journey-the larger society in which they tive; their families and other significant people; their individual l i fe experiences; and their stage of cognitive
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development. The messages and treatment children receive from people outside of their farnily (e.g., a teacher, a police officer, a pastor); from media (e.g., the kind and degree of visibil i ty of one's racial group); and from personal interactions (e.g., rejection by a classmate because of their skin color) all interact rvith the lessons children learn within their families. Skil ls they learn for recognizing and negotiating rac- ism dynamics also matter. All these factors cleeply influence how chilciren make sense of ancl feel about their racial identity.
The language of racial identity People tend to think of race, ethnicity, anri culture as being interchangeable aspects <tf iclentity. They are not the same, although they interact ancl overlap. Members of one racial iclentity l lroup rnay have conte from quite distinct ethnic/cultural qroups, speaking different languages ancl havinq clifferent religions. For example, Africar-r Antericans originally came frclrn many different tribal groups, with different lan{uages and beliefs. Today in the United States, there are als<r Black people frorn Ethiopia, Belize, Cuba, ancl other countries. Ancl many ethnic/cultural qrotrps inclucle members of clifferent racial ir lentit ies. I '-or example,
l)eople frclm Mexico trave skin colors that vary frorn very l ight tcl very dark; they rnight be considererl Black or lnclian or White.
How a society clefines racial groups is cleterminecl by its clominant group using ttreir own ecoltomic, his- tclrical, and social-polit ical lenses. ln fris clr her coun- try of origin, a person may "look l ike" thclse in power and be identif iecl as simply a cit izen clf that country. Yet, when in'rmigrating or traveling to another coun- try, that person may be considerecl ancl treated as "a person of color." Fclr exarnple, in the Unitecl States, an American cit izen of l-atino background rnay lte incclr- rectly assumed to be an "i l legal alien" because he is clark-skinned and speaks Spanish an<l may even be arrested during sweeps by the government.
The terms for racial iclentity vary over time within a society, as historical realit ies, legal defini- t ions, economic and polit ical relationships, and social consciousness change. Until recently. for example, the U.S. Census specified only a few racial categories. However, reflecting the greater recognition of diver- sity in the population, as well as polit ical demands by specific groups, the 2010 Census wil l offer a more complex set of choices for answering the question about one's race. (Confusingly, some of the terms to choose from are based on "race constructs." while others are based on ethnicity.) The 2010 question-
Learning About Racial ldentit"v & Fairness
naire offers many choices'. White; Block, African Am., or Negro; American Indian or Alaska ltlatiue (print
nome of enrolled or principal tribe); Asian Indian, Chinese; Filipino; Japctne,se; Korean; Vietnamese; Otlter Asian (print race); Natiue Howoiian, Guarnanian or Chamrrnt; Samoan; Other Pacific Islonder; and Some other ror:e (print race). An additional question asks about "Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin"-that is, requesting that one answer bclth a cluestion about Hispanic origin ancl the question about race.
Chilclren grow up surrouncled by rnisinformation abclut racial iclentity, confusing racial categories ancl terms, ancl contraclictions between what people say ancl do.
'fhese factors rnake it challenging fclr young
chilclren to nrake sense of ttre w<lrlcl arouncl them ancl to figure clut whcl ttrey are within it. Unclerstanclirrg this calls cln teachers to pay attention to the larger societal coutexts as well as the incliviclual farnily ancl l ife experiences that influence the racial iclentity ancl attitucle clevelopment of each chilci we serve.
When we understantl that a chilt lren's racial iclen- tity is shapecl frclrn ttre outside nnrl constructecl from the insicle, teachers cnn play a crit ical role in helping chilclren nrake scnse of the confusing ancl often ernc> tionally charqecl lnessarJes they receive about whcr ttrey are racially ancl how the worlcl feels ab<tut whcl they arc. Early clt i ldhood e<lucators can foster chil- clren's accurate kuowleclge ancl pclsit ive feelings about their racial iclentity and about anti-bias relationships with clttrers.
Stop & Th ink : Your ear l ies t lessons about rac ia l iden t i t y
r WItat is your r: ;rr l icst nlemory of rrot ir : in11 that l teolt lr- ' have c l i f fe r t :n t sk in r :okr rs , cyc shapt 's , ha i r tex tu re ar tc l co lo r ' l D ic l any a t l t r l t s I rc lp you th ink ; rbor r t r ; r t : i i r l c l i f f erences', '
r Wl ia t mcssages c l i c l yo t r ge t e i ther c l i rec t l v o r inc l i rec t l y frour your fanti ly, sr:hool, faith-lrast:r l sett ing. nre<l ia' l
r As a ch i l c l . what c l i c l you learn about ta lk ing a l lou t t l rose c l i f fe re r rces? How c l r . r vou fee l ta lk inq a l rou t t l re rn torlay'/
I Whert cl icl you f irst l tcgin to thiuk :r l torrt y<>rrrself as having a racial iclenti ty ' l Wfrat nartte r l i<l you l tut to it ' , ' How cl icl yotr feel about yr iur raci:r l identi ty t i rcrr? lf you cl id not think about this as a chi lcl , why rkr you suppose tfrat was?
r What is an early lnef)ory of real izing that some peolt lr : receive hurtful treatrnent because <tf t l reir racial i r len- t i ty? How did you feel about this' l Dicl you have an,v. ' information about people doing sonrethirrr{ to chanqe the bad treatment' ,)
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Children's early experiences and understandings of racial identity Children grow up impacted by many polit ical and economic realit ies, as well as the contradictions con- nected to race and racial identity. Each child gradu-
ally constructs an internalized racial identity-based on how he is defined, valued, and treated by others as well as how the child himself thinks and feels about who he is. This requires teachers to pay attention to larger societal contexts as well as the individual family and life experiences of each child they serve. Pretending racial identity doesn't exist or doesn't matter leaves children to find their own way within a system of misinformation, confusion, and injury.
If we want children to thrive in a diverse world and to chose to stand up for themselves and others to create a more just place for all, then we must be proactive in helping children to construct a healthy, positive racial identity and respectful attitudes toward people of differing racial identit ies.
Children's comments, questions, and behaviors il lustrate how they try to make sense of the society's teachings about racial groups and begin to construct their internal racial identity and attitudes toward oth- ers. For example:
"What color blood do we all have?" the teacher casually asks a group of 3-year-olds in a child care center after having read a story to them about a child who hurt himself. "l have light red," says Michelle, who is White, "but I think Janine [who is Black] has dark red." As the children have certainly seen each other's blood from the times they have scraped or cut them- selves, their surprised teacher asks if anyone else thinks, like Michelle, that people with different skin colors have different color blood. Some say yes, others no. She then explains, "l can see why some of you might think that if people have different skin color, their blood might also be a different color. But everyone has the same color blood, no matter what the color of their skin."
Children's ideas and feelings also reveal a begin- ning awareness of the power dynamics tied to the idea of race. For example:
In one child care center in a California college town, a group of 4-year-olds is making books "About Me." Their teacher asks them to describe their skin color. The African American and Latino children resoond with "black" . . . "brown" . .. "tan-ish." Several of the White children respond, "My skin is regular." . . . "Ordinary." . . . "You know, it 's skin color."
Many people want to believe that children do not notice skin color, or they think that talking about the differences children see all around them will cause problems. But when adults are silent, children's l im-
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ited experiences and abil ity to make sense of what
they see and feel may become the first step in devel-
oping prejudice or undermining their self-concept. Adult silence may also lead young children to con- clude that the topic of racial identity is somehow dangerous. By providing language and information, we help prevent racism from harming children's evolving self-concept or influencing them to reject or fear others.
o Infants and toddlers show awareness of skin color. When shown a series of photographs of faces,
infants below age I were less and less interested as
similar faces appeared. However, when a photograph
showed a face with a different skin color. the infants'
interest picked up, indicating that they were aware of the color difference. lnfant/toddler caregivers can also vouch for the fact that children notice cliffer- ences in skin color and facial features at a very young
age. For example:
When an Asian visitor enters the 1-year-olds room, an l8-month-old child takes her hand and leads her to one of the two Japanese American children playing on the floor. The child has clearly noticed a similarity and is "matching" child and adult. The teacher observ- ing this says, "This is our visitor, Mrs. Chang. Are you introducing her to Lisa? Do you think she looks a l itt le like Lisa's mommv?"
o Preschoolers talk about their own and others' racial characteristics.
Many adults spencl consiclerable tirne teaching young children the names of ccllors ancl clescribing things based on their color and yet are surprisetl when these same children inclicate awareness clf skin color. Regardless, younq chilciren are frecluently interested in the color of people's skin, as well as hair
color, hair texture, ancl eye shapes, as these exatnples show:
During story time, Hector (age 4) leans over and touches Jamal's hair. Jamal pushes his hand away. The teacher asks Hector if he has ever touched hair l ike Jamal's before. Hector shakes his head no. Jamal interjects, "He didn't ask me if it 's okay." "Would it be all r ight if Hector asked first?" the teacher asks. "Yes," Jamal answers, turning to Hector. "Ask me and then you can touch it. Then I want to touch your hair." Because Jamal has given his permission, the teacher says, "Yes, it 's fun to touch and learn about each other's hair as long as we ask first. Did Jamal's hair feel the same as or different from your hair?" (lf Jamal had said it was not all r ight for Hector to touch his hair, then the teacher might have said, "We have to respect what Jamal says. There are other ways to learn about each other's hair.")
Anti-Bias Education
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"Craig's eyes go l ike this," says 4-year-old Ruth, pull ing her eyes up. The teacher replies, "Craig's eyes are a different shape than your eyes. Both your eyes do the same thing-they let you see!"
Sometimes children's comments about their physical characteristics also give us signals about how they feel about their skin color, eye shape, or hair texture. For example:
Two 4-year-old friends, one Black and one White, are chatting.
Mike: I 'm going to get new pants.
Doug: What color?
Mike: Blue.
Doug: What about brown?
Mike: I don't l ike brown.
Doug: Oh, then you don't l ike me.
Mike (/ooking surprised): Yes, I do.
Teacher: There's something important I want to help the two of you figure out. Doug, why do you think Mike doesn't l ike you?
Doug: I 'm brown; he said he didn't l ike brown.
Teacher: Mike, Doug thought when you said you didn't l ike brown you meant you didn't l ike his brown skin either. ls that how you feel?
Mike: No, I don't l ike brown pants; I l ike brown Doug.
Teacher: Doug, is that okay? (Doug nods his heod yes ond the two go off together.)
Immediately responding to children's questions and comments, as well as init iating activit ies for all the children to explore their observations and curiosity about skin color, hair, and eyes, supports healthy identity development. Ignoring, diverting, or reprimanding young children's curiosity about physi- cal features connected to race (e.g., "Oh, it doesn't matter what color you are; we are all people." . . . "We don't talk about that. It isn't nice") conveys the mes- sage that these aspects of themselves and others are at best embarrassing, and at worst bad.
o Preschoolers want to know why physical character- istics differ and will create their own explanations.
Preschoolers' questions reveal their powers of observation, their curiosity, and their efforts to make sense of what they see. In the process, they create their own unique explanations about the physical characteristics of racial identity based on their expe- riences and according to the cognitive tools they possess at their stage of development.
"How do people get their color?" asks 3%-year-old Sandra. "What are some of your ideas?" her teacher responds. Sandra explains, 'Well, I was wondering
Learning About Racial ldentity & Fairness
about pens." (Sandra l ikes to use felt pens to color her hands and arms with different colors.) "l 'm glad you are trying to figure things out," her teacher tells her, "but that's not how people get their skin color. lt is a litt le hard to understand how it happens. We get our sk in color f rom our b i r th mommies and daddies."
With children 4 years old and up, teachers can read simple books that explain about skin color.
Nick (age 4) l ikes to play with Miyoko, a child recently arrived from Japan. His teacher notices him pull ing on his eyes, trying to make them the same shape as Miyoko's. When the teacher asks Nick about what he is doing, Nick says, "l want to make my eyes l ike Miyoko's. lf I learn to speak Japanese, wil l I have eyes like hers?" His teacher tries to clear up Nick's confu- sion by explaining, "Each ofyou gets your eye shape from your family, not from the language you speak."
If the child is adopted, explain that eye shape comes from the child's birth family, using whatever term the family uses.
Four-year-old Rudy tells his teacher, "l want my skin to be as dark as Paolo's. He's my best friend." His teacher responds, "lt 's great that you and Paolo are best friends. I know you have a lot of fun playing together at school and at home. You don't have to be just the same to be best friends."
As these examples i l lustrate, children can be very inventive. It is important to take the tirne to ask them for therr icleas before jumping in with your own explanations about skin color and other physical characteristics. Provide accurate infclrmation in ways they can developmentally grasp. They can begin to hear-in simple terms-about the scientif ic reasons for physical differences, but they wil l not fully grasp these concepts. For example, preschoolers w;ll not fully understand the idea of melanin, but introclucing the concept lets children know that there is a reason for skin color differences.
Young children are curious about a whole range of their own and other's physical characteristics, not just those linked to racial identity. Effective early childhood education helps children learn about all aspects of themselves. (See chapters 7 and 10 about differences based on gender and on disabil ity.)
o Preschoolers try to understand the names of and criteria for racial categories.
Young children find the connections between racial group names and the actual color of a person's skin confusing. They wonder why two people with different skin tones are in the same group. Using their preschooler logic, they try to make sense of what are truly nonsensical socially/polit ically invented racial groupings.
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"Why am I ca l led Black? My sk in is brown." . . . " l 'm not yel low; I 'm tan." . . . "My sk in isn ' t whi te; i t 's p ink." . . . " l 'm not Black; I 'm Afr ican Amer ican."
Preschoolers also express puzzlement about the relationships between "color" terms and the names of d i f ferent ethnic groups.
Carmela asks, "ls Mexican my color?" Her teacher repl ies, "No. 'Mexican' is not a color . l t is the name of a big group of people to which your family belongs."
"Am I red?" Leroy, a 41/z-year-old Navajo child, asks in a puzzled tone. "Tate (a 41h-year-old White child) said I 'm a 'Red Indian, ' but I don' t see any red on me." His teacher responds. "You're right, Leroy, there is no such thing as a 'Red Indian.' You are Navajo, and your skin is brown, not red. Let's go talk with Tate and explain to him so he won't make the same mistake again."
"You're not Black, you're White," 41/t-year-old Leticia, an African American child with dark brown skin, tells 41/t-year-old Carol, a light-skinned African American child. Carol looks confused. The teacher intervenes. saying, "Leticia, Carol is African American just l ike you even though the shades of your skin are different. You are both Black because you are part of a big family called Black people or African Americans. At group time I wil l read everyone a book, called Shodes of Block (by Sandra L. Pinkney), about the different skin shades of African Americans."
At preschool age, chilclren usually clo not yet understancl the polit ics and history of racial group terms. Nor wil l they yet grasp the clistinction between race and ethnicity. Hclwever, they clo neecl adult help sorting out their icleas and getting some accurate information. For example, adults can help children learn that the racial names qrown-ups use for a large family of people is not the same as our actual skin color. Exploring these topics with children conveys the message that it is okay to want to understand.
o Biracial or multiracial children and children in transracial adoptive families have additional questions.
Children in these families often struggle with which categories of racial iclentity to apply to them- selves. They also have to deal with their peers'
confusion.
"Which part of me is Black and which is White?" asks a 3-year-old biracial child. He shows his hand to his mother and says, "This part (the top) is Black, and this par t ( the palm) is Whi te." His mom repl ies, "Al l o f you is both Black and White."
"Who's your real momma?" asks Mateo when Pilar's White mother brings her darker skinned daughter of Salvadoran heritage to school. "This is my momma!"
Pi lar ind ignant ly proc la ims. "She don' t look l ike your momma," Mateo insists. Their teacher steps up and, smiling at Pilar's mother, says, "Mateo, are you notic- ing that Pilar and her momma have different color skin? That's true. But Mrs. Carter is Pilar's momma. Pi lar 's sk in is a mix of her daddy's color of sk in and her momma's color of sk in. lsn ' t that wonderfu l?"
Kim Lee keeps insisting that his black hair is "yellow" and that h is brown sk in is o ink l ike h is mother 's . In h is artwork, he always colors his mother and himself with the same hair and skin colors. The teacher decides to talk with Kim Lee's family about ways they can help Kim Lee eventually understand that his mom is his mom even though they don't look the same and that she and his father love him just as he is.
Teachers need tcl l isten for ancl be responsive to the questions of children whose parents differ frorn each clther in racial/ethnic iclentity, clr childrert wl-to differ from the rest of their family. Adults must help children sort out ttreir icleas and feelings in ways that work at their clevelopmental level. It helps to fir.rcl out what tenn(s) each family uses witfr their child tcr clescrilre the chilcl 's identity (e.9,.. interracial, biro- t'iol, ntultirucial, nultie.thrti<', nixe.d). Some will prefer
the name of the racial group clf color (e.g., "Maya is Black, not biracial"). Scln.re parents wil l need support for sorting out their icleas ancl feelings about trclw tcl name ancl teach their chilcl about his or her racial iclentity. When possible, use the sarne terminology in the classrclom as the family uses at hclme.
Tamara's kindergarten teacher asks the children to raise their hands if their families are Japanese American. Tamara raises her hand high. Then the teacher asks the children to raise their hands if their families are Mexican American. Again, Tamara raises her hand up h igh. "Oh," sa id the teacher, "you must be half-and-half." "l am not!" Tamara says indignantly,
I m ai l tamarat
Preschoolers in transracial acloptive families can fincl it diff icult to understand how they got their physical characteristics. It helps when chilclren get
clear messages about the clistinction between Drrlft families (whom they may not know at all) and their adoptiue families (who are their real, everyday love and identity connection). Once they are developmen- tally capable of understanding the concepts oI birth parents and adctptiue parents, children's questions
become very similar to those of children in biracial or multiracial families.
Similarly, ask the family how they have described adoption to their child and what words the family members use to describe racial physical differences. Use children's books about transracial adoption and
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persona doll stories to help children articulate their confusion and get clarif ication. (See chapter 9 for more about adoptive families.)
o Preschoolers need help resisting harmful messages about their racial identity.
Hearing and absorbing disparaging messages about any aspect of their physical appearance and racial identity is toxic to young children's evolving self-concept and confidence. The old aciage ,,Sticks
and stones may break my bones, but names wil l never hurt me" would be more accurate changed to "but names wil l break my heart., 'Teachers need both immediate and follow-up strategies for interrupting and handling harmful messages about all aspects of a child's identity.
"l 'm going to make my eyes straight and blue,, ' 4_year_ old Cindy tells her teacher. .,Why
do you wanr ro change your lovely eyes?" Danica, her teacher, won_ ders. "lt 's prettier," Cindy says. Danica replies thought_ fully, "Cindy, I don't think straight eyes are prettier than yours are. Your mommy, grandma, and grandpa don't think so either. We like you just the way you are, with your beautiful, dark brown eyes shaped just as they are. Why do you think straight and blue eyes are prettier?" Cindy answers, ..Sarah
said I had ugr/ eyes. She likes Julia's better." Danica tells Cindy that Sarah was wrong to say that, adding, .. lt is not true, and it is unfair. Let's tell her about it."
It is also important to nurture a positive racial identity in White children that cloes not inclucle ideas of superiority. For example:
A 4-year-old White child, noticinq that her skin is darker than her two White frienJs', asks worriedly. "Does that mean that I 'm not White anymore?" and repeatedly asks for reassurance that she is sti l l White. The teacher reassures her, ..you are sti l l White. White people have different skin colors. All skin cotors are good." The teacher decides that he wil l plan several activit ies to explore skin differences and to build chil_ dren's awareness of how people of color and White people contribute to our daily l ives.
o Pay attention to covert as well as overt messages that children hear.
Take seriousty all of children's expressions or behaviors that reflect negative messages about their racial identity or feelings of inferiority or superiority. Remember that what may seem like ,,a l i tt le thing,, by itself to you can add up with other l i tt le things to cause serious harm-so don't ignore it. Be alert for indicators of discomfort or potential bias (e.g., anxi_ ety, teasing, name call ing, or exclusion) and be sure to learn more about possible underlying causes as you plan further action.
Learning About Racial ldentity & Fairness
Frequently children pick up negative messages about skin color from subtle cues in the world around them. For example;
After being taken to see a popular children's fi lm, 3-year-old Alice says soberly, ..1 don't l ike all those dark people." At f irst, her grandmother is puzzled, as all the animated characters in the fi lm were animals. But then she realizes that all the .,good"
animals were golden, and all the "evil" ones were dark. While her grandmother struggles to think of what to say, Alice adds, with relief in her voice, ,,1'm not as dark as Audra (her older sister)."
If you can't think what to say, are uncomfortable responding directly and matter-of_factty to an inciclent, or later feel you mishandled it, talk to someone you trust to explore your feelings ancl possible responses. Alwoys go back to the child with your new response. (See "Positive Interactions with Chilclren" in chaoter 4 for guidelines for adclressing these matters.)
Stop & Think: Talking about racial ident i ty r What is i t l ike for you when a clr i l r l raises arr issue
about rat:e? I low t:onrfortable are you talkirr{ alrout th is top ic w i th t :h i l c l ren? What n rakcs you r rnc :o r r rk r r t_ able? What woulcl herlp yor-r to resltorrci lqt l tr ,r lrr iately. l
I In what kinds of si tuatiol ls in your l i fe torlav clo issues of rac ia l r l i f fe rence c r rn re u1 t . , What i s tha t I i ke / Are there thinrls you wishecl you unclerstoocl l tetter so v()Ll coulcl speak rnore t ' learly about thern?
r What, i f anything, clo you r lo when you see or hear racial prcjurl icc, inclucl ing a racist joke? Wlrat woulcl you feel ancl clo i f sorrreone tolcl you t lrat you s1;oke rtr behaved iu a l trejrrcl icerl way?
Strategies for learning about physical differences and similarities Creating a rich anti-bias learning environment sets the stage for discussion and activit ies about racial and other physical differences and similarit ies. The richer the environment, the more l ikely children wil l ask questions, even in classrooms where the staff and children come from similar racial backgrounds.
In all activit ies, highlight that physical diver_ sity among people is desirable, and that all colors, shades, and shapes of people are beautiful. Talk about differences in a tone of delight and interest. Create a vocabulary that encourages children to look at them_ selves and others and admire their samene ss and their uniqueness. Just as we do not wait unti l a child asks questions about how to read before planning how to provide a range of l i teracy learning opportuni_ ties, anti-bias education is the teacher's responsibil_ ity, not the child's, to init iate.
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.' :.r. ir \ 'ou clo activit ies about the physical character_ rstics l inked to racial identity. Every activity should be about a/1 of the children, as everyone has a racial identity. Moreover, cloing activit ies about all children reinforces that differences ancl similarit ies can be found within each racial iclentity group as well as across groups.
Exploring skin color, hair, and eyes Children are active observers of physical characteris_ tics. As they become familiar with some of their own features ancl those of their classmates, help them to have vocabulary ancl ideas to unclerstand sameness and difference.
o Ask chilclren for their icleas about what skin cloes for us. Talk about how all skin cloes the same work for people, regardless of its color. Do the same for hair ancl eyes.
o Make a l ife-size cutout of each chilcl from butcher paper, and use mirrors to help each chitd observe his or her skin, eyes, and hair color and then select the crayons ancl paints that most closely match those col_ ors. Alternatively, provide a range clf skin_tone draw- ing paper and mirrors ancl invite chilclren to draw portraits of themselves. Older chilclren can work with partners, deciding together which colors to use. Invite children to tell about their cutout f igures or portraits at circle time. Mount them around the room. Comment on the beauty of each child,s color choices.
o Make a wall chart of children and staff handprints using skin-tone paints or photos. This can also be a class book with each chilct 's name written under his or her handprints.
o Take two photographs of each child-one of the back of the child's head and one of the child's face. Mount all of the photographs on stiff paper, and make a matching card game called .Can you Find Whose Hair Goes with Which Child?" Include pictures of staff in your game. Similarly, make cards with photographs of only the children's eyes and let children match to their full facial photos. you can also use photographs of children's faces to make a book or chart about differ_ ent skin colors and eye shapes/colors @olpert lg99).
o Read books about the beauty of different kinds of hair and skin color-for example, Hairs/petitcts (by Sandra Cisneros) and All the Colors We Are/Todos los colores de nuestra piel (by Katie Kissinger), both of which have simple language and beautiful irnages.
Focus on children's confusion about their own skin color If, when you invite the children to make self_portraits, a child chooses colors that do not corresponct to his actual skin, eye, or hair coloring. . .
o Consider gently encouraeing the chilcl to choose the color closest to his skin color.
o If the child objects, it may be better not to pur- sue the subject immediately, but rather to observe whether this continues to happen at other times, such as when the chilct is clrawing herself spontaneously.
o If the coloring is playful (some chilclren paint them_ selves with rainbow colors, or bright green), and the child is relaxed and comfortable, then you clon't neecl to take fur ther act ion
o If you judge that the child is showing signs of reject_ ing how he looks (perhaps thinking that physical characteristics closer to those of White people are more desirable), make a plan for wl-rat you can do to strengthen the child's identity. This may inclucle speaking with the chitd's family about what they want their child to know about his racial iclentity ancl com_ ing up wi th a shared p lan.
Exploring how we are alike and different There are many ways to involve children in cliscover_ ing similarit ies and differences among themselves, their teachers, and their families.
o Make a book about the physical characteristics of every child and staff member. Take colclr photcls of each person, paste each on its own page, and ask children to describe themselves, writ ing what they say under the photo. Inclucle skin, hair, ancl eye color among the characteristics. Be sure to have sufficient l ighting when photographing darker skin tones so that facial features show up clearly. When the book is complete, read it to the children at circle time.
o Make a bulletin board of color photographs of each child and the members of each child's immediate and extended family. You can take photographs of fam_ ily members yourself, and/or invite them to provide their own. Talk about ways in which each child looks and does not look l ike her or his family members. Focus on the fact that we get our looks from our birth
Anti-Bias Education t.
84
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l)arents, but we never look exactly the same as them. Place the bulletin board at the children's viewins height.
o More fully explore the range of physical differences among individuals within a racial group and the physi- cal similarit ies among individuals of different racial groups (e.g., eye and hair color, skin color, height). Even in a classroom of all White chilclren. differences in skin color and features wil l exist (e.g., freckles, skin tone, eye and hair ccllor). You may also extend your exploration to include similarit ies ancl differen<:es other than physical features (e.g., wearinq glasses, choice of hairstyle, foocl preferences, favorite games). Integrate math concepts by helping children graph the range clf skin, eye, ancl hair colors and hair tex- tures represented in the classroom.
o Talk about how children who look clifferent from one another sti l l often l ike to clo the same things. Take photographs of the children doing various activi- t ies, ancl use them to make a Big Book featuring chil- dren who look different cloing the same activity (e.g., "Adeel and Aclam like to play with blocks" . . . "Maria ancl Amancla l ike to play ball"). Be careful never tcr make sweeping generalizations about a group of 1>eople (e.g., "White people l ike to eat . . .").
o In kindergarten and beyond, introduce chilclren to very basic scientif ic explanations for variations in skin ccllor, hair texture, and eye shape. Talk about the advantages that certain physical attributes give people in certain environmental conclit ions: Darker skin provides more protection frorn the hot sun than lighter skin; the "epicanthic fold," which determines the eye shape of peclple with Asian origins, provides protection against the glare of snow or from flying clust. Blue eyes and "white" skin are predominant among peoples who originatecl in Northern Eurclpe where the sun is less strong. Be sure to explain that these changes tctctk thousands of years and that traveling to another part of the world won't change their characteristics.
Expanding awareness of racial similarities and differences After helping children become aware that the people within their family are alike and different, it is important to expand their knowledge and aware- ness to groups of people beyond those in the class- room and neighborhood. As chilclren groq they move into ever wider and more diverse settings, and we want them to be open to and respectful of all kinds of people they may encounter.
As we have discussed, teachers need to be verr careful in their efforts to acquaint children with othrr groups in ways that do not make the groups seeni exotic or strange ("tourist curriculum"). For example. if the only Asian people children see are in pictures and wearing kimonos, they can come to believe that all Asian people wear kimonos-and that they wear them al l the t ime!
Followinq these strategies wil l help chilclren extencl their awareness of the similarit ies and dif- ferences of racial l lroups outside of their family or neighborhoclcl.
o Make sure you know the people who make up the chilclren's lar{er cornmunity. Remember that the people tfrey see on television are part clf their wicler awareness.
o Find out children's icleas about lteople whose racial iclentity is not present in your classroom. Show accu- rate pictures and ask: "What clo you knclw about a person who looks l ike this?" . . . "What do you think this person eats? Where clo yclu think this person
Learning About Racial ldentity & Fairness 85
l ives? Where does this person sleep?" . . . "Does this person have a family?" . . . "Does the girl/boy have the same or different color skin, hair, and eyes as you
do? How do you think she/he got that skin color?" . . . "Do you know people who look like the person in the photo?" Once you have this information, you can then plan a series of activities to counter children's specific mistaken ideas and to teach them accurate information.
o Tell persona doll stories that introduce children to diversity in racial identity. (This activity wil l overlap with persona doll stories about clifferent cultural ways of l iving.) Make sure that stories aclclress simi- larit ies shared with the children in your group, includ- ing diverse family ways of l i fe.
o Read authentic books about chilclren from different racial backgrouncls who are cloing activit ies familiar to children in your program (e.g., going to a birthday party, visit ing the doctor, welcoming a new sibling). Help children identify similarit ies and differences between the chilcl in the story and themselves. Ask them: "What did you like about the story?" . . . "What
is he/she doing that you l ike to clo? What is clifferent from what you do?" . . . "How is her/his family, home, etc., the same or different from yours?" . . . "Does the girl/boy have the same color skin, hair, and eyes as you do?" This is another place where "We are all the same; we are all different" makes a lot of sense to children.
Fostering critical thinking and respectful relationships Positive and accurate learning experiences about human differences and similarit ies help to give chil- dren a foundation for resisting incorrect and harmful messages about themselves and others. Preschoolers are ready to begin thinking crit ically about the accu- racy and fairness of the information and images they encounter. They also have the capacity to use their developing empathy to understand that unfair behav- ior hurts people and can learn respectful ways of interacting with others. Teachers can use the follow- ing strategies to promote young children's develop- ment of these understandings and competencies.
o Cultivate children's empathy and ways to deal with the hurt of stereotyping. Read books that depict children experiencing unfair treatment based on their racial identity. For example, Amazing Grace (by Mary Hoffman) shows a spunky l itt le girl whose classmates tell her she can't be Peter Pan in a play because she is a girl and because she is Black. Children quickly
understand that something hurtful and unfair has happened and love to read about Grace's eventual success at playing Peter Pan. Talking about the preju-
dice and hurtful messages as well as Grace's resis- tance gives children language to put to their feelings
and reactions.
r Another way to cultivate empathy is to tell persona
doll stories about a discriminatory incident between dolls (e.g., one doll saying to another doll that her skin is "clirty" because it is clark), engaging chil- dren's empathy and problem-solving skil ls. Or have a persona cloll present specific images that children see regularly (e.g., stereotypical ima{es of Native Americans in greeting cards or a children's bclok); ask chilclren, "How do you think the doll might feel when she sees the untrue picture?" . . . "How do you think you woulcl feel if i t happenecl to you?" Encourage children to think of various things the tlolls coulcl clo to cleal with the hurtful image.
o Intentionally plan activit ies tcl counter potential
overgeneralizations or existing stereotypes in the chilclren's general environment.
A harvest curriculum is being planned for late October. Living in California, the staff worries that some of the children might believe that only people with brown skin harvest food and that only White people sell food. They have already decided to invite some farm workers to school, but now they make sure that it is a multiracial group. They read books such as Gothering the Sun (by Alma Flor Ada), which celebrates Mexican farm workers , and Apple Picking Time (by Michele Benoit Slawson), which shows a family of pickers who are White.
o lt is also impclrtant to support children as they demonstrate awareness of stereotyping.
Benjamin is playing with his Lego toys, one of his favor- ites. Suddenly, he looks at his teacher and announces, "You know, all of the people in this set are White!" His teacher responds, "Hey, you're right. There should be Black and Asian and Hispanic figures, too. I 'm proud of you for noticing because it is important to notice when things are unfair l ike that."
o Engage children in group action. It is empowering when we help children take action to turn some- thing "unfair" into something "fair." Sometimes this involves addressing personal confl ict, helping a child speak up to another child, for example. But it is par-
ticularly powerful when children act together. The following examples i l lustrate ways that early child- hood teachers in different settings have worked with children to respond to specific issues of racial bias in their programs.
86 Anti-Bias Education
Nancy Spangler's class of 3- and 4-year-olds was a multiracial group, and she had worked hard to see that her classroom reflected every child. One day she grabbed from the storage room a box ofgame cards that matched people in work outfits with the tools they used. The cards were wonderfully gender neutral, but Nancy noticed that all the people were White.
Nancy called the children together and asked, "Do the people on these cards look l ike all the people you know?" The children said no, identifying skin color, age, and even pregnancy status as "missing." "ls it fair to have cards that exclude so many people?" The children agreed it was not. With Nancy's help, the children wrote a letter to the manufacturer exolain- ing what was wrong. Then she got out the skin-tone pens, and the children re-colored the cards so they would "look real." They also colored in the dogs in the pictures!
Sometimes families get involvecl in classroom activ- ism, as well:
Bj Richards, a preschool teacher working in a setting with African American, Latino, and White prescnoor- ers, wanted to diversify her doll collection of f ive Whi te dol ls and one Black dol l , but she had only a tiny budget for new materials. She decided to raise the oroblem with the children. She showed them a cor- lage they had made with their photos and then their doll collection. "Are there dolls that look l ike you? How many look l ike you? Do you think that is fair to everyone?" Most children agreed it wasn't fair. "Do you think we need more dolls to be fair?" Again, most children thought they did.
Bj then suggested the children, the staff, and their family members help make cloth dolls. The children dictated a letter to their families explaining the prob- lem and inviting them to a doll-making workshop. Bj showed the children an example of a cloth doll, and the children made a l ist with her of materials they would need: cotton fabric in sand, beige, and several shades of brown, plus a variety of materials for hair of different colors and textures.
Knowing that one child's grandmother was a skil led seamstress who had experience making dolls for the family, Bj asked for her help in making patterns and sewing the dolls. After the parent-staff workshop, some family members offered to finish any uncom- pleted work. The children dictated a thank you note and drew cards for the participating families.
Other times children become activists in their neighborhoods:
Molly Scudder and her predominantly White kinder- garten class regularly walked to a play area a block from their school. One afternoon she saw that some- one had written racial slurs on a nearby wall. She stopped the children: "Do you know what is written on this wall? lt makes me very angry." She read the words, and the group talked about what the words meant, how they are very hurtful to people, and what the children could do about them. They decided to paint over the words. She also decided to follow up with classroom activit ies, including reading the chil- dren a few books about prejudice and developing a wall chart about what to do if a friend says something hurtful about how another person looks or who she or he is .
lf we want children to thrive in a diverse world and choose to stand up for themselves and others, then we must choose to help young children make sense out of the confusing and clften emotionally charged messages they receive about themselves and others. The commitment to support each child to develop pride ancl self-confidence and deep connections with others calls on us to foster all children's healthy racial identity. When we give children language to dis- cuss their identit ies in an atmosphere of interest and clelight, ancl the tools for addressing the unfairness they wil l inevitably encounter, then we know we have helped children construct a strong foundation for the next phases of their l ives.
Remember to do activit ies about racial identity that cultivate all four anti-bias education goals
Learning About Racial ldentity & Fairness 87