Why It’s Important to Talk about Race with Children

When my son was three years old, he told me one day after preschool that he didn’t want to play with me because I was Black. He went on; Black people are mean, he said, and he only wanted to play with his dad because my husband was white, like him.

We were shocked and I was hurt—my child thought I was bad because I was Black. And even though my son is biracial, he characterized himself as white.

What my son said that day unfortunately reinforced what research has long shown: children absorb racial biases from their environment. I study racial socialization—the ways children learn about race and racism—and I know how early these biases form. I also know that talking about race and racism can shape how children perceive others.

Read the whole story (subscription may be required): Scientific American