My Reflections: Talking To Kids About Political Protest and Activism

The Raising Us Podcast

Tabitha here: I recently was a guest on the podcast, Raising Us by A Kids Co. talking about political protest, activism and kids. If you follow me on social media, you probably saw clips of it.

I chatted with the host Elise Hu about how parents and kids are processing this moment in history and particularly how to talk with kids about it. It’s a rich episode with lots of tips and a bit about how it’s relevant to my work at Women’s March.

Here are 5 things you may not know about this episode:

1. The Kids Co. has really great introduction books for many tough topics facing kids. We’ve loved their books on a wide range of topics from divorce to long-term care. If you’re looking for simple, direct, introductory books for your kids, check them out.

2. One of my favorite things to do is talk about liberation work and kids. Because of my dedication to collective liberation and to the future of our kids, I love sharing about it with anyone who will listen. So whether it’s in my DMs or on social media or on a podcast, I want to be in conversation with others because the goal is for us to build a world for our kids that is better than the one we’re living in. One centered on justice, collective freedom and equity.

3. This might come as a surprise because of my line of work but I am very wary of being interviewed. I’ve done one or two interviews where my words were misconstrued and misinterpreted. I’m also always learning and growing (as we all should be) and interviews are time capsules of my perspectives at that given point in time which could shift and change. So I accept invitations from people whose bodies of work I trust and who respect the gravity of the work Adam and I do, such as A Kids Co. AND this is also not about me. The work is bigger than my discomfort and it needs voices who can share openly about the need for us to involve our kids in our protest work. So I’m here for it.

4. Although this podcast episode focused on protesting with kids, I didn’t get a chance to bring in the importance of protesting even when some of our allies in the movement may shy away from it, like protests in support of Palestinian liberation. Teaching kids about political protest is important AND it’s also important to teach them about movements that are currently facing immense opposition from every lever of power, even on the left. Adam and I have been talking with our kids and taking them to protests in support of Palestine since they were super young. I remember taking them to a protest in Bay Ridge in New York City when our daughter was a wee thing. It didn’t get major coverage in the news and that’s why it was even more necessary for us to show up. We must teach kids that all of our liberation is interconnected and we should use our voices and our power wherever we can.

5. I filmed this episode at 10pm so I was super exhausted. My schedule is tight and I never know what my life is going to look like too far into the future. I also tend to work wild hours to accommodate my kids’ schedules. Though I was exhausted, once the convo got started, the topic and questions really gave me a jolt of energy and I forgot the time, my kids asleep in the next room and all else.

That’s it from me for today. Listen to the episode and let me know what you think. Sending love to you all. Take care and be safe, okay?

Tabitha