Race

Depending on where you live, the new school year is either quickly approaching or has already begun! After noticing that some of the books we grew up reading were less than inclusive and made for attitudes about our neighbors that had to be unlearned, we started wondering...how do parents and educators find books that both explicitly and implicitly support a cornerstone of our theology--that all people are made in the image of God? We've asked a number of justice-minded parents and educators for their thoughts.

Over the course of the past couple of years, I have been introduced to the term “microaggression.” I think I have known what microaggressions are for years, but hadn’t had the right word for them until recently. The term “microaggression” refers to an unconscious discrimination or degradation of a person related to their gender, race, ability, income or sexual identity.

How do I talk to my children about racism in light of Charleston? I thought it would be easy for me to answer as I do not shy away from real topics with my children. However, I couldn’t come up with something for this blog. I asked my children if I ever talked with them about racism and they looked at me with questions in their eyes and responded, “no”. I talked about the blog with my colleague and told her I was having trouble with this assignment and I couldn’t even answer the questions. I realized that perhaps I didn’t talk with my children about overt racism because of the sheer violenc

The other day I was eating dinner with my wife in a restaurant located in Gallup, New Mexico, a border town to the Navajo reservation. Gallup was recently named "Most Patriotic Small Town in America" in a nationwide contest. Soon after sitting down I noticed that we were seated at a table directly facing a framed poster of the Declaration of Independence.

The irony almost made me laugh.

How can Canadian Christians celebrate Canada Day this year in a way that rightly honours a great country without falling into either idolatrous patriotism or divisive nationalism? It all comes down to the story we tell ourselves and others in our celebrations around the BBQ and the fireworks.

We live in a land that was taken from others, and in a nation that was built by the slave labor of others. Only God can work to redeem and restore what has been done, but God seeks to do that through us, particularly in what we teach our children.

Kids are amazingly wise about justice issues. They will use their faith, minds, and hearts to make a difference and to share what they know with their peers.

In our conversations about racism, they all have expressed their struggle with the hope that things will get better. It is hard for me to help them along that path. They have already seen so much injustice.

I wrestle with how much to dig and reveal. I also recognize that because of white privilege, I don’t HAVE to share the hard realities of racism with my kids when our friends of color don’t have that option.

It can be hard to know what kids are ready to hear about racism and violence. When? How? How much? These are hard conversations, but necessary ones to build a society where everyone is truly safe and respected. For the next four days, Do Justice will be interviewing a different parent each day about the way that they have spoken about Charleston and similar racial issues with their children. 

Today we're hearing from Anissa Eddie, mother of two young sons in Grand Rapids, Michigan.