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1. Official Shrub.com Blog » Blog Archive » New Blog: Anti-Racist Parent on 13 Oct 2006 at 10:22 pm

   […] Just a quick post to highlight a new-ish blog, Anti-Racist Parent. From their introductory post: Thank you for visiting us here at Anti-Racist Parent! This is a blog for parents who are committed to raising children with an anti-racist outlook. If you’re a parent who is tired of having your child learn about race and identity through the mixing of neapolitan ice cream , playing dress-up with national costumes, and absorbing the same handful of sanitized historical facts every single Black/Latino/Native American/Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, this blog is for you. […]

2. Discovered On The Web: Anti-Racist Parent Blog at They Might Be Curly Giants! on 14 Dec 2006 at 3:41 am

   […] [Link to the Anti-Racist Parent blog] […]

3. Shaping Youth » Anti-Racist Parenting Tips; Free eBook for Shaping Youth on 08 Jul 2007 at 8:15 pm

   […] her, via my favorite blogspot, “Have Fun, Do Good”) Her newest entry into the blogosphere, Anti-Racist Parent, follows on the heels of “Racialicious!–When Race and Pop Culture Collide” which […]

Comments

1. Margie wrote:

   Thank you!!!

   Posted 11 Oct 2006 at 8:52 pm ¶

2. eliaday wrote:

   This is such a great idea.

   I have one quick comment/question. How did you decide that this should be the anti-racist parent as opposed to the anti-ism parent page? Today also happens to be National Coming Out Day. Coincidence?

   And while I know that issues of homophobia/biphobia are different that issues of racism, I also know that they are all intertwined when you start thinking about parenting. I think the same goes for thinking about gender, religion, etc.

   For me, as a parent, I am forced to think about how race affects my child. But, I also am mindful of not focusing solely on race, but being aware of other aspects of social identity. When I start looking at children’s books, for example, I can’t bring myself to support a book that provides positive role models based on race, but not on gender. And on and on and on…

   Any goals to expand to say … social justice parenting? My $0.02.

   Posted 11 Oct 2006 at 10:35 pm ¶

3. Naro% wrote:

   So glad you dropped this blog!! I am more than sure I’ll have some gems to contribute to the cause!
   Take care, and thanks again.
   NARO%
   ELEVATE!

   Posted 12 Oct 2006 at 7:40 am ¶

4. ann adams wrote:

   I just subscribed. I’m a great-granny raising three trans racial girls.

   I have a gay son so eliaday’s question is interesting.

   I’ll read you either way.

   Posted 12 Oct 2006 at 9:03 am ¶

5. Waya wrote:

   I found your blog via Blogging Baby and I think this is a great idea. I recently wrote a post about my son’s first encounter with a racist remark about his food.

   Thanks for reading and keep up the great work. We all need to be educated on our own ignorance.
   http://www.beforebaby.com/waya/2006/09/24/chinese-boy-i-am-not/

   Posted 12 Oct 2006 at 10:41 am ¶

6. Jen Chau wrote:

   eliaday,

   thanks for your honesty about your concern. if you take a look at our projects, you will realize a couple of things. one, race is definitely our area of expertise, and so that becomes our main focus. the second thing, though, is that we never try to talk about race in its own little bubble, but aim to discuss it as it relates to other -isms and other parts of our identities.

   we certainly recognize that other -isms are just as important and need just as much discussion. we are hoping that this blog will be a space where people feel comfortable to
   talk about how those other -isms intersect with race.

   hope that answers your question. please contribute in our discussions. it would be great to have your voice and perspective here!

   thanks,
   jen

   Posted 12 Oct 2006 at 11:14 am ¶

7. mamazilla wrote:

   LOVE THE NEW BLOG!!!! i was just wondering however if there’s any way a message board/forum of some kind could be attached to the blog?

   the reason i ask is i just read this post over at craigslist.org (and this happens every once in a while, where a post goes up and is kinda left out there…)

   http://forums.chicago.craigslist.org/?forumID=39

   “My 8 year old son goes to a predominately white school in the East Bay area of Northern California. He is in the 3rd grade and is starting to question why he doesn’t “look” like everyone else. His racial categorization is termed “African” American because his skin is brown, his hair is curly and the majority of his descendents were slaves in America. Both his father and I are “African” American.

   From the time my son was born I have tried to instill in him a sense of pride about his heritage. I have given him lots of positive feedback about his racial characteristics and features and have taught him to respect other groups of people who don’t look, act, think, etc. like him.

   He is fixated on wanting straight brown or blonde hair and white skin. He says he wants me to dye his hair and straighten it. These comments make me sad because I know what he’s feeling because I went through the same thing 30 years ago.

   I dealt with the feelings of not fitting in by ignoring them and eventually I matured to the point where I was delighted that I didn’t “look like everybody else.” I hope my son gets through this stage of his life with his self-esteem intact.

   Any suggestions on how I can help my son navigate through this difficult period? ”

   so, of course, i wish there was another forum where a question like this could be asked and answered/discussed.

   Posted 12 Oct 2006 at 3:34 pm ¶

8. BaltimoreGal wrote:

   This is an excellent idea! Although I am primarily of Irish and German descent I have some Native American ancestry (a recent discovery)- not that anyone can “tell” by looking at me, whatever that means. Which is something I try to explain to people and hope to use in the future in “tense” racial situations. I also have a Japanese aunt and several African- American “family friends” who I have always thought of as family. My mother grew up in the South during segregation and lived near Koinonia (http://www.koinoniapartners.org/) when it was firebombed. She was deeply affected by these events so she was always careful to teach me about race and culture from an early age. I am very lucky, I know. Good for you for having a forum to discuss these issues!!!

   Posted 26 Apr 2007 at 7:57 am ¶

9. JoAnn O'Linger wrote:

   Thanks for having such a great blog! My husband and I are both of Irish/German/Eastern European descent, and we are raising two grand-children who are half “Caucasian” and half “African-American”. I want to them to grow up to be proud of who and what they are…and to know that they are the future of this country, whatever the past looks like. We live in Southern California, so most of the time the reactions we get in public are positive, but sometimes I see people looking at the two babies (they are both still under the age of two) with obvious disdain. As surprising as this may sound, most of the negative reactions come from African-Americans….at least, this was a surprise to me! I really don’t understand it. I continue to hope that these kids will be able to connect with both sides of their heritage.

   Posted 14 May 2007 at 1:55 pm ¶

10. Lyonside wrote:

    >As surprising as this may sound, most of the negative reactions come from African-Americans….at least, this was a surprise to me!

    JoAnn: Not excusing the behavior by any means, but be aware that some African-Americans dislike non-black parents, especially white, raising black (or perceived black) children, on the grounds that they will not be prepared to know how to deal with racism, or that they will lose their identity. It’s the same assumptions that make many black social workers reluctant to place black (or part black) children with white foster or adoptive families.

    Now I personally say hogwash, culture is learned and there is no monolithic “black” culture that one can go down a checklist and say, “Yes, yes, I have it.” But you may be experiencing more than an apparent dislike/prejudice against biracial children - it may be a prejudice/assumptions against you directly as primary parents (and people may assume you are adoptive parents, rather than grandparents).

    Posted 14 May 2007 at 2:51 pm ¶

11. MEP wrote:

    Hello everyone! I am a graduate student (getting my Master’s in Education) and am working on a paper pertaining to racist/bias children’s books. I was wondering if you had a list of “banned” books I might be able to get. Please let me know. Thanks!

    MEP

    Posted 12 Sep 2007 at 4:42 pm ¶

12. Carol wrote:

    To Lyonside:

    I am white and raised two African-American daughters. My husband and I believed that the African American culture could be taught rather than lived. And we pretended that the rest of the world’s opinions didn’t matter. That worked until the kids were middle school age, and the world came caving in. African-Americans experience treatment every day that is different from that of majority white people. It’s very hard to teach such experiences–and to ignore them creates later hardships! My girls, my granddaughter and I are very close, but I feel for the pain that they (and I) did not know how to handle.

    Posted 10 Oct 2007 at 7:06 pm ¶

13. Lyonside wrote:

    >My husband and I believed that the African American culture could be taught rather than lived. And we pretended that the rest of the world’s opinions didn’t matter. That worked until the kids were middle school age, and the world came caving in.

    Carol, I hear where you’re coming from. But when I said that culture is taught, I meant that culture/ethnicity is NOT biologically based. People may react to each other based on phenotype, but those reactions, responses, thoughts, and stereotypes were taught at some point.

    So when I say that culture is learned, that does not mean that anyone can necessarily TEACH. And there is no one monolithic culture for any ethnic group, especially in a diverse society.

    However, what minority children of majority parents need are the TOOLS to deal with how others in your society may react and respond to you. Minority children (and really, ALL children) need to learn the stereotypes and why they’re wrong, they need to know the subtle forms of racism and prejudice in general, they need to learn defense mechanisms, and they need to develop their own ways of self-identification. They need to learn that people may have non-racial problems or issues, but that they may use race as a shield, excuse, or justification. Those tools are often taught by another minority, usually of the same or similar ethnic background. But some things are more universal. It all depends on the circumstances, the level of diversity in the immediate community, and the ethnic or other tensions that exist.

    Posted 10 Oct 2007 at 11:28 pm ¶

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