Anderson Cooper 360 aired a phenomenal special on kids and how they view race last week. You can watch the video here.
The study they did is a variation of the doll experiments done in the early 1940's, and it focuses on children and racial bias. This is a great inspiration to have some serious conversations with our kids. I have talked to my son about race on occasion, but like one of the mothers in the video says, I assume that because my son sees the way I live my life and the way I embrace equality and tolerance that he will do the same. A lot of the parents in the video assumed the same thing, but when their kids were asked about their opinions of skin color, and their understanding of society's views on skin color, their answers were shocking.
As you will see in the video, it is just as important to make sure your kids love who they are as it is to teach them about racial equality. I suggest watching it with your kids and then taking some family time to discuss what you see.
I saw that episode. It was very interesting and quite moving in how the world has evolved since then. At least I like to think it has :)
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