Race and Equity Resources

Cultural Diversity and Racism.mp4

In light of the recent racial inequities that are currently gripping our nation, the Lancaster School District Counselors have created this lesson to discuss race, racism, and cultural diversity. Please feel free to reach out to a counselor if you need support, or talk to a trusted adult.

Parent and Caregiver Resources:

Five Tips for Talking to Your Children about Hate Incidents:

Prepare Yourself. Provide yourself time to understand the topic/situation and also time to understand your feelings and emotions. This will allow you to stay calm and not overly emotional when talking to your children.
Treat All Questions with Respect. If their questions make you uncomfortable, don't dismiss them or ignore them. Understand why it is making you feel this way so that you can best address their concerns. Keep your answers simple and age-appropriate.
Be Open to Talking about Why These Incidences Take Place. As adults, we assume that children don't understand what is happening, but they often have a simple understanding but need more context to understand the situation fully. Don't be afraid to say that you don't know an answer to their questions. Also remember to be careful when describing the situation so that you don't respond out fear, with stereotypes, assumptions, or scapegoating.
Be Alert for Signs of Distress in Your Child. Signs can include withdrawal, acting out, or anxiety of otherwise normal activities.
Focus on the Helpers. Having conversations about how others are helping people dealing with the situation and how you as a family might want to take action or show solidarity.

Article: 5 Tips for Taking with Children about Hate Incidents

Good Reads:

Talking to kids about race

Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup

How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism

Beyond the Golden Rule - A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice

How to talk to kids about taboo topics

When one of Liz Kleinrock's fourth grade students said the unthinkable at the start of class on race, she knew it was far too important a teachable moment to miss. But where to start? Kleinrock teaches kids to discuss taboo topics without fear -- because the best way to start solving social problems is to talk about them.

Talking to kids about community violence

Community violence is violence that happens around you, but not to you. Sadly, our world is full of scary, disturbing news about people harming others, such as school shootings and acts of terrorism. It’s hard to know how to explain such events to young children, or how much to share. Whether children have been exposed to traumatic events in your neighborhood or across the world, you can help them feel safer and more secure…and build hope and healing for a more peaceful, kinder future.