Raising Antiracist Kids
Raising Antiracist Kids Podcast
Part 1: Endurance & Action: Hope for Parents during Trumpism
0:00
Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -8:11
-8:11

Part 1: Endurance & Action: Hope for Parents during Trumpism

We're in this together.

“Mom, why don’t we just move to another country?

That’s a question our 10-year-old brilliant little darling child threw in the mix this week after hearing another unfiltered rage session from us propelled by living during Trumpism for less than a week.

Here we are raising two children under ANOTHER Trump administration and it’s really icky (icky is our professional term). Don’t get us wrong: the last 4 years with Biden were by no means perfect, and we had to raise our voices to ensure that the Biden/Harris administration was focused on equity and justice for all. This time though, the attacks on immigration, anything related to “DEI”, climate, healthcare, and education have already reached a fever pitch of chaos and hate, and it’s only been a week. It is overwhelming and ugly.

But, we’re parents and caregivers. We aren’t easily discouraged and we’re here to tell you that it is still possible (and essential) to raise antiracist kids during this moment in history. Antiracist Parenting during fascism relies on a few key points:

  • Don’t ignore politics–engage your kids in an age appropriate and kid-centric way

  • Keep active, engaged and learning on your own

  • Find and center joy for you and your children

  • Find your community and ways you can develop systems of care

Over the next week, we will be sharing some actionable guidance for antiracist parenting during these times, to be followed by a toolkit for action. For today, we want to send a note about hope and resistance in these times.

Raising Antiracist Kids is a reader-supported publication. In these dire times, independent voices are especially needed. Thank you to those who support our work with a paid subscription. The process is easy, if you haven’t already.

Before we go any further we want to thank you all, our readers and listeners for your patience with us in the last month. Not to be too hyperbolic, we have been busy preparing for the next 4 years so we can be guided by community, hope, and action.

Tabitha here: I spent the last 3 months throwing all I have into helping organize the People’s March. For those who don’t know, this was a full circle moment for me as a founding organizer of the Women’s March on Washington in 2017. In many ways, the work this time around felt like a necessary channel for my frustration after a disappointing, complex and imperfect election. In other ways, the experience unearthed intense trauma from living under Trump 1.0 that I didn’t even realize I’d been harboring in my body. So thank you for sticking with us through this.

Photo by Kristine Jones

The march showed that there are still a large number of people resistant to hateful rhetoric and the attempts to undo democracy. 100,000 people showed up to the People’s March with us in Washington D.C. and thousands more around the country (actually, the world!). If you take nothing else away from today’s post, it’s that you’re not alone in desiring to parent children in a country centered on justice, equity and peace.

Photo by Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times

Adam here: I really appreciate Tabitha and all of the organizers of the People’s March. In 2017, we didn’t know what we were preparing for, we just knew it would be harmful for so many. This winter, as I took on more parenting responsibilities so Tabitha could focus on planning the People’s March, it felt similar to 2017 but it also felt different. We now know how hard the next four years may be, and Trumpism can be emboldened by our complacency and silence. I am driven, in large part, by all of the work Tabitha and others poured (and continue to pour) into fighting for equity and justicefor all. The divisiveness that is literally written into Project 2025 has also brought violence to the forefront. So instead of bringing the kids to Washington D.C., as we usually do, the kids and I went to a local march. We were prepared with snacks and a stroller as usual, but this time we were a bit more vigilant because things are so on edge. The kids were engaged, but also exhausted as they tried to wrestle with the challenges ahead in ways their growing minds will allow. But it was still very important for us to include them in taking action.

Last week, Trump started his second reign of terror, targeting transgender people (kids included), immigrants (in schools, at home, at work, documented and undocumented), Native Americans, Black people through their attacks on civil rights, queer people, and people from other marginalizations. It’s frankly been terrifying, even for those of us who expected all of this. We don’t know about you but we oscillate between being at a loss for words with our kids and struggling to break down what’s happening. How do we explain to our children that being mean is rewarded on a governmental (and worldwide) level? How do we explain that people who hurt others can escape consequences once they’re rich enough (or become president)? How do us parents, who strive to parent through an abolitionist lens, stick to our lesson that no-one is bad, that people just make bad choices based on environment and circumstances?

These are all questions we’re grappling with and know you probably are, too. For now, we wanted to share this note of hope and let you know that you are not alone in your fear, concern, and pain. We are in this together.

Later this week, we are going to share actionable ways to help us families move forward. Until then, we hope you stay grounded, focused, kind and hopeful.

Take good care of yourself and love up on your kiddies, okay? We got this.

Tabitha & Adam

p.s. If you are an immigrant and are looking for trusted guidance on what to do if ICE shows up, The National Immigrant Justice Center provides step-by-step instructions if you are undocumented, have temporary status or are a citizen. For employers, the National Immigration Law Center provides steps to take to protect your employees and yourself.

Share Raising Antiracist Kids

Discussion about this podcast