We can help stop the seemingly never ending cycle of structural racism—and it starts at home

American hypocrisy. It’s been around since this country was founded, as simultaneously written in the documents that all men (ahem) are created equal yet they had slaves…that were considered ⅗ of a person. Racism can be hard to talk about, but nobody can ignore the deeply embedded systematic laws and racist tendencies of this country that disregard Black lives consistently, time and time again. Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Dontre Hamilton, Breonna Taylor, John Crawford III…People across the nation are exhausted, tearful, and appalled, just waiting for something to change. But why? Centuries have gone by. Why is everything still stuck? Because racism is taught, and it’s like a disease. Parents can help cure it and make a change by talking to their children about racism, and work toward breaking the cycles of racial bias at home. This is a crucial step to go in the right direction, and can help fight this unfortunately long battle against racism. 

Many parents ask questions about getting the ball rolling, and discussing racism with their children. Social psychologists Diane L. Hughes, Celia Fisher, and Natasha J. Cabrera shed some light on this in their article, “Talking to children about racism: Breaking the cycle of bias and violence starts at home.” Where they give a professional insight through research and studies, of young people's minds and how they watch companies, athletes, schools and many more prominent sources in their lives closely. A key and simple acronym researchers in the social and cultural fields use is IPEJ, or Intentional Parenting for Equity and Justice. IPEJ is defined by having intentional and purposeful discussions, as well as activities that teach children awareness of racial dynamics, compelling them to change and protest them (Hughes, Fisher, Cabrera, June 2020). The most notable racial dynamics include oppression and structural racism, as well as stereotypes and white privilege. But the problem here is that many parents avoid talking or mentioning race to their children, and that can sometimes be understandable, but we need to change this. This happens to be more true for White parents. Studies have shown that after the murders of Trayvon Martin in 2012, and Michael Brown in 2014, Black parents were intrinsically motivated to have serious conversations about racial discrimination with their children. On the other hand, very few White parents chose to do so, maintaining that innocent and "sheltered" childhood. The article mentioned before stated, “Our research shows that on a more routine basis, Black, Latinx and Asian parents are far more likely than White parents to talk about racial issues with their children, especially cultural pride and awareness of discrimination.” (Hughes, Fisher, Cabrera, June 2020). The current views on racism will only halt progress, and we need to change this position for the future generations to destroy the purposely confusing and disgusting racial systems in this country.

A high number of teens, including all races, think racism, in a sense, is not something that exists anymore and we put it behind us. But the thing is, they still notice differences in the way people live, how many opportunities they have, and even how people are treated around others and by law enforcement. A key thing to remember is that children are always learning about race even if adults aren’t directly teaching it, allowing them to have opinions about these things, but not taking into account the root of the problem and the structure/system issues. This causes racial teasing and small aggressions at school and other places children spend their time, because they don’t understand what they’re actually doing, which leaves racist dynamics unchallenged a lot of the time. Referencing back to the article, “Talking to children about racism: Breaking the cycle of bias and violence starts at home.” There is an unsettling statement that further shows the bigger problem. “Too many teens in our studies – teens of all racial backgrounds —say that racism is a thing of the past that ended when Rosa Parks sat at the front of the bus,” (Hughes, Fisher, Cabrera, June 2020). The reason this is unsettling is because it shows there is a flaw in the way we educate our future generations and the dangers of ignoring racism. In fact, people that say, “I don’t see color.” Aren’t as anti-racist as they believe because in order to fight racism, you must first acknowledge it. That, along with educating yourself is he biggest step in the right direction.