It’s been an emotional two weeks for our country and our community. The last two weeks have shown us the best and the worst in humanity. The last two weeks have shown us that a once-in-a-generation opportunity for real change feels tangible.
The last two weeks have shown me, a Latina and owner of Baton Rouge Family Fun, that we have an important role to play in our community.
At its heart, Baton Rouge Family Fun is a community organization serving ALL Baton Rouge families. We stand in solidarity with all who are working to dismantle racism in our community. We are committed to being an ally to those leading the change. Standing against racism and injustice has nothing to do with our politics and everything to do with our humanity.
While Baton Rouge is a great place to live, with a diverse and resilient community, great restaurants, rich culture, and fun events… we have significant challenges to face, challenges that aren’t new.
We don’t have the answers to such ingrained and complex problems such as racism but we do know it starts at home, it starts with our children. As parents, families, and members of this community, who seek to raise one another up, we must point out and condemn racism, brutality, and indifference to suffering wherever we see it.
We are tasked with the important job of raising the next generation to be pro-actively anti-racist. Our children will be better able to break this chain of bias if we give them opportunities to think deeply and talk openly about justice, inequity, and humanity from a young age.
We do not have all of the answers but we do have this space where we can learn with one another. We hope to support families in the effort to build a better Baton Rouge by listening, learning, and growing together.
As a platform for local parents, we will continue to be a resource to all families, working with inclusive businesses and organizations to support our collective community.
Building a better Baton Rouge by listening, learning, and growing together.
Anti-Racism Resources for Parents and Kids
Below is a list of local grass-roots organizations that are working to educate and dismantle racism in our community along with some helpful resources to start the conversations at home:
Dialogue on Race Louisiana
Power Coalition
Step Up Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition-EBRPPR
TRUCE Baton Rouge
The Promise of Justice Initiative
Innocence Project New Orleans
Women with a Vision, Inc.
It’s never too early to talk about race.
“Adults often think they should avoid talking with young children about race or racism because doing so would cause them to notice race or make them racist. In fact, when adults are silent about race or use “colorblind” rhetoric, they actually reinforce racial prejudice in children. Starting at a very young age, children see patterns — who seems to live where; what kinds of homes they see as they ride or walk through different neighborhoods; who is the most desirable character in the movies they watch; who seems to have particular jobs or roles at the doctor’s office, at school, at the grocery store; and so on — and try to assign “rules” to explain what they see.” (Dr. Erin Winkler, 2017)
Books for parents:
- The Anti-Racism Project’s Book List
- How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
- The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- Raising White Kids by Jennifer Harvey
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Olou
Books for children:
- Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy
- IntersectionAllies: We Make Room for All by Chelsea Johnson, LaToya Council, and Carolyn Choi
- Black Brother Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work by Tiffany Jewell
- We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices: Words and Images of Hope by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson (editors)
- Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne
- Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
- A Kid’s Book About Racism by Jelani Memory
Books for young adults:
- This is My America by Kim Johnson
- Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yself Salaam
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You: A Remix by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
- I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Gilly Segal and Kimberly Jones
- When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
- On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) : A True Story of the Fight for Justice by Bryan Stevenson
- All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone
More resources:
- Anti-Bias Activity for Pre-Schoolers
- How to Talk to Kids about Race and Racism
- PBS Kids: Talking to Children Authentically About Race and Racism
- Using Crayons to talk about Diversity and Racism