I was born and brought up in France and never did me or or my family experienced racism. We moved here when I was 13 and again, I didn’t experience racism.
However, for my kids, it is a different story. We live in the same area as I was when we moved here from France. Over the past year, my kids have been subject to racism by other kids in the flats we live. These kids are just under 10 but the things that are coming out of their mouths is pure vile. Things like ‘fat Muslim’ , ‘ white is better than brown’ , etc.. are what my kids have heard so far. I have confronted the adults. While one mum was so shocked to hear her son say this and punished her child for that, others have barely acknowledged it or walked off!
The kids know this is racism. Once they were old enough to understand what I was saying, around 7years old, we talked about how some people look at colour and gender and how wrong this is. And I told them that should their experience sexism or racism, they should call it out and then come to a reliable adult so they can help as well.
I don’t know if this is because of the current political climate but the fact that this is now becoming a regular thing and kids that young are saying such disgusting things isn’t normal. But the best way to tackle racism or any -ism, is to have an open conversation with your kids so they know what is wrong and right. They also need to know that they have absolute rights to call anybody out on these horrific abuses and not feel threatened by it and that as parents, we’ll be there for support!
No comments:
Post a Comment