We now live in the heart of confederate territory where my children see confederate flags fly high and people of color are very few and far between.
When it comes to teaching our children that black lives matter, reading about famous black people in history is not enough.
Reading about racism is not enough.
Studying the history of slavery and civil rights is not enough.
How do you show that black lives matter in your own home?
How do you teach your children to love and respect black people as equals in every way?
Disclaimer: This post shares simple ideas of how families can show that black lives matter in their homes. By no means am I stating our family has everything all figured out when it comes to supporting Black Lives Matters. We, like everyone else, always have room for improvement and welcome more more ideas in the comments below.
6 Ways Your Family Can Show Black Lives Matter
1. Introduce literature where main characters and/or authors are black.
I'm also not just talking about books that discuss black history. Yes, these books are extremely important to read and understand, but you can do more!
I'm talking about novels where black people are the main characters and the book has nothing to do with slavery, civil rights etc. One of Dinomite's favorite books right now is Kane Chronicles: The Red Pyramid.
Start when your child is young. Books with black or brown skinned characters aren't just made for black and brown families. They should be included in the collections of all families.
Not only are you teaching your child that color is beautiful and important, but you're also supporting black authors.
2. Include black dolls and characters in play.
White children shouldn't just have white dolls and characters to play with. All races and ethnicities should be included.
When you play with your children using these dolls and characters, model that black lives matter.
My girls have just as many, if not more black, brown and Asian dolls as they do white ones. In their pretend play black and brown dolls always take the lead or are best friends with white characters.
My boys are always super excited to find a black LEGO minifigure they can use in their play as a lead superhero or good guy.
3. Listen to music written by black people in the home.
My children enjoy John Legend, Will Smith, Beyoncé, and Rihanna.
Be sure to support your black musicians. Make it a point to play their music in your home on a regular basis. Help your children develop a love for all forms of music, including pieces performed by black musicians.
4. Expose your children to black artists at home and in the community.
I must confess, I am not an art person. When it comes to art created by the black community I'm clueless and need to improve on that.With that said, my husband, Jason absolutely loves art. He thoroughly enjoys pieces created by Jacob Lawrence and Romar Bearden.
As we've studied art through homeschooling, Jason has always been big on including black artists in our studies. Their art contributions throughout history should never be skipped over.
5. When studying history, current events, culture, and science, include of discussion of black perspective and contributions.
Our kids are required to fill in those pages with each part of history we study, not just during the Civil War and Civil Rights Movement. Sometimes it's hard and requires a lot of research. So often black history is skipped over in our history books.
As we watch the news we discuss the different perspectives of each story.
When it comes to science we love including important black scientists and mathematicians. One of our kids' favorite movies is Hidden Figures, which we included in our astronomy unit study last year.
Princess also has the Women of NASA LEGO set. She's in love with Mae Jemison.
Help your children discover black heroes throughout history. This is such a great way to show that black lives have always mattered. We wouldn't be where we are today without their contributions.
6. Develop sincere friendships with black families.
I can't help but wonder what life would be like for black people, if every time they ran into law enforcement a white friend was standing by their side.
I know for me, and my children, we will always defend and stand up for those we love.
There are so many of us wondering what we can do to show that black lives matter in our homes and with our children.
It's our hope that these ideas will inspire and also help you help your children feel like they're contributing to the Black Lives Matter movement in ways they are able.
If you'd like to see our statement on Black Lives Matters click HERE.
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