The Kind Heart Kids Project is a local group of children, led by two mothers. They plan “kindness stops” each month to teach kids how to do good things in the community, and help others! Their leaders, Meghan and Andrea recently came up with a list of resources, to help teach our children about race, racism, and how to navigate the conversations. They gave me permission to share! We hope this is helpful to you!
Hello Friends,
We come to you with heavy hearts from everything that has been happening in our broken world at this time.
You all know the heart of our mission for this group: to raise our children to honor, value, and uphold the power of kindness, love, compassion, and empathy. We want to take a stand in solidarity with our black brothers and sisters- and as mothers, a huge role we play in that is to raise our children to do the same.
That being said, we have come up with some resources to help you navigate all of this. We want to honestly acknowledge that we have a lot to learn ourselves, and that making lasting changes is going to take more than just this email or a post or two on social media. This requires daily work, and we hope you find some of this helpful in doing the work within your own families. Please note that these resources are targeted towards white families working towards antiracism. If you and/or your children are black, please see our hearts and know that we are striving towards justice, peace, and equality in doing this work.
Stay kind,
Andrea and Meghan
“When you are kind, it not only changes you, it changes the world.”
Books for Adults
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad– Provides reflective journaling prompts and challenges
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
- Raising White Kids by Jennifer Harvey
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Accounts to Follow on Instagram
Pruning and diversifying who we follow on IG can make a huge difference in exposing us to more messages, sentiments, and ideas. A lot of these accounts also provide useful information in educating our children! Check them out.
- @theconsciouskid
- @readlikearockstar
- @thebookwrangler
- @apron_education
- @littlelibrarylist
- @myishathill
- @hithapalepu
- @mspackyetti
- @ckyourprivlege
- @rachel.cargle
- @beabridgebuilder
Children’s Books
Read books that feature black families and that spark conversations on race, empathy, diversity, equality, etc. Better yet, purchase books from independent bookstores under Black ownership. Source Booksellers (Midtown) and Detroit Book City Bookstore (Southfield) are great local options.
- Here is an amazing starting point: https://educationwithanapron.com/2020/05/a-white-families-guide-for-talking-about-racism/ . It offers a lot of information and tips on how to use this book, how to educate yourself before talking to your kids, and gives other resources to help prepare you for ongoing conversations. Also the book itself, The White Families’ Guide to Talking About Racism by Naomi O’Brien and LaNesha Tabb.
- An ABC of Equality by Chana Ginelle Ewing (ages 1+)
- Dream Big, Little One by Vashti Harrison (1+)
- Who We Are! by Robie H. Harris (2+)
- Kitchen Dance by Maurie J. Manning (2+)
- Equality’s Call by Deborah Diesen (3+)
- Mixed, a Colorful Story by Arree Chung (3+)
- Little People, Big Dreams: Rosa Parks by Lisbeth Kaiser (3+)
- A Kid’s Book About Racism by Jelani Memory (4+)
- Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena (4+)
- Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester (4+)
- Intersection Allies by Chelsea Johnson (5+)
- Can I Touch Your Hair? by Irene Latham (8+)
- We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices (8+)
Talk to Your Kids Openly and Often
Here is a great place to go if you need guidance in these conversations with your children. There are additional book suggestions here too!
