Infuse This One Thing Into Your Antiracist Parenting

Games + Stories + Antiracism

May 16, 2024

We take a break in our Civil Rights History Family Road Trip recap to share an important reminder:

There’s one thing that is super important when infusing antiracism into kid-centered activities. It’s the missing piece to the puzzle and one that we didn’t realize right away as young parents trying to raise antiracist kids. Some may think it dilutes the work and makes it less impactful and we vehemently disagree. It’s the one thing that kids need lots of and that us parents need reminders to do more often:

That one thing is FUN!

Kids may not remember the words you say (especially if it’s a big topic like racism), but they will remember fun activities, games, and making new friends.

Kids naturally cleave to joy. They want to have a good time. When we do antiracism work with kids, we are intentional about infusing heapings of fun. This serves a few purposes:

It teaches kids that antiracism should be a part of everything in life, including having a good time.
They learn to celebrate their own identities, build community with others through games, and be creative when dreaming of a more equitable future.
It helps kids center joy in antiracism work. Since antiracism work is a lifelong journey, learning to center joy from young can make a big difference as they get older. What we’re striving for is a world where everyone can access the joy and happiness they need to lead fulfilling lives. That’s true equity and liberation, isn’t it?
It lets us parents realize that antiracism isn’t only about big conversations. Big convos have their place for sure but antiracist skills like problem solving can also be loads of fun.
If you’ve ever tried to explain racism to a 5-year-old, you know that lessons are more impactful and long lasting within the context of activities kids enjoy.

Last weekend, we hosted Spring Antiracist Family Day sponsored by the Brooklyn Public Library and Ben & Jerry’s. We had such a fun time with not just the kids but also the adults. We learned about community mapping, celebrating our identity as it relates to race, heard amazing stories (some read by puppets!), played fun games with musical guest Lavender Blues and, last but not least, indulged in some delicious ice-cream!

So when you tell us that you read a ton of books and had a long discussion with your kids, our question will be Great!! Amazing!! and did they have FUN with it, too?

And yes, in case you’re wondering, the kids waited so patiently for the ice-cream, especially the one kid who kept walking up to us asking for it 🙂

We wanted to share some of our favorite memories from this day with you. If you missed it and are thinking you’d like to bring something similar to your kid’s school, your community or your workplace, email us at tabitha@tabiijust.com for more info on how to do just that.