INDIANAPOLIS — As protests continue and racism and social injustices are at the forefront of everyone's minds, parents are finding themselves wanting to teach their kids about what's going on across the country.
Dr. Renee Azziz, a school psychologist and operator of Virtuoso Education, says no matter the color of your skin, we all must be intentional right now when talking about race, racism, and injustices. She says it's essential to have these conversations because this affects everyone.
Dr. Azziz often helps schools address racial disparities and says we may not realize it, but racism and prejudice impact everyone. Studies have shown kids from a very young age can see and recognize the physical differences, and she says its OK, and that we should name those differences.
Dr. Azziz says she likes the way Dr. Beverly Tatum describes racism in America.
"She describes the impact of racism on all of us as smog. You can think about air pollution we are all breathing it in, and just like racism and injustice, sometimes that smog is really heavy and visible, but other times its light, and you can barely notice it, but you are still breathing it in," Dr. Azziz said.
There isn't a perfect age or an ideal way to have these conversations with your kids, according to Dr. Azziz. Just starting the dialogue, she says, is a step in the right direction.
Here are more resources for both white and Black families to talk to their children about racism.
