Page 47 - SEN107 SEN Magazine July-August 2020

Louise Alkema outlines some ways of discussing racism with children. Racism for kids I n the aftermath of world-wide protests in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement, many teachers and parents are wondering how to discuss racism with their children. The European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education has found that schools should aim to have integrative and inclusive policies, ‘highlighting the educational values brought by all pupils, whatever origin or need they might have.’ Explaining inequality It can be easy to feel that by saying ‘Black Lives Matter’, other races are put at a disadvantage. This is a useful analogy to help children understand: Imagine if you broke your leg and had to go to the doctor. You would want to tell the doctor that right now, your leg was in pain. Whilst ALL your bones matter, right now, it’s your leg that needs attention.’ For younger children, it is also important to explain using the concept of ‘fairness’; How would the children feel if their friend said something mean to them or pushed them because of something they couldn’t control? What if they then did it again, even after he/she asked them to stop? And then again, and no one at school helped them? Eventually, they would feel upset and angry. In some ways, this is like the George Floyd tragedy. It’s also important to emphasize that while police officers should be kind and helpful, this is not always the case. Highlighting examples of situations that ‘are not fair’ and ‘fair’ is a tangible lens in which young children are able to better understand racial injustice. Use simple language and make it clear that you feel the treatment of George Floyd by a police officer was not fair, and that people should be treated fairly. Personalising your explanation will help make it more tangible, and if you can relate the discussion either to yourselves, or to people close to the children, it can help to bring these topics closer to home to highlight their importance. Older children who are ready to learn more about inequality can be taught the history of race and racial injustice present in modern-day society. Ask them questions about their interactions with race; have they ever witnessed racism or have they been mean to someone with a different skin colour? What do they think of the protests? By discussing what children thinks and sees about race, we can prevent them from adopting ideas or behaviours from others. Talking about white privilege When we talk about white privilege with children, we’re not saying life isn’t sometimes tricky or that hardship doesn’t exist in white communities. Rather, when explaining white privilege you’re saying that hardships or difficult moments experienced in life are not a result of your skin colour when you are white. This can be explained in child-friendly hypotheses, or by using one of a variety of youtube videos explaining the concept of discrimination. By underscoring the unfairness of such stories, a child will better understand the difficulties race wrongly poses today. Invite children to actively see colour, to see culture, to see history, and to acknowledge that race has an impact on people’s life experiences. What you can do From a young age children take note of our actions, meaning that if you open discussion on equality, yet treat people differently in view of their race, your children are likely to adopt similar behaviour. Whilst it is tough, as parents and teachers we should try to acknowledge and be aware of our own implicit bias. Take note of your gestures, how you look at people, and how you interact with people. Small changes such as these go a long way. For further reading, digital home care platform Yoopies.co.uk has a full guide for how to discuss racism with kids. senmagazine.co.uk SEN 107 47 Black lives matter