The events of the past few months have left many parents wondering how to explain everything to their kids, while other parents have been having these hard conversations since their children were little. Race may seem like an uncomfortable conversation, but it’s never been more important for parents to teach their children about our racism — and racial inequality — to help spur change in this generation and beyond. It’s only uncomfortable to never talk about these things and send our children into the world unprepared for the realities of our society today.
Many celebrities have been vocal about how they plan to teach their own kids about these important topics. From white moms admitting confronting their complacency, to Black parents who never had a choice but to talk about these things, they all have some pretty good advice for the rest of us who are also educating our own kids.
Kerry Washington reframes how Black history is taught
While her two children are doing school from home, Kerry’s taken the opportunity to expand their curriculum a bit. “A lot of times, learning about Black history in particular, you learn about civil rights and the Jim Crow era. You learn about all the things Black people were told we couldn’t do, so I thought it was important to kind of immerse them in the rich culture of who Black people are and were even before Martin Luther King and all the great, great civil rights leaders,” she told Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen Show.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds want to raise their kids differently
After donating $200,000 to the NAACP, the couple released a joint statement about how it was important to them to break a pattern of complicity when it comes to their three kids.
“We’ve been teaching our children differently than the way our parents taught us,” they said. “We talk about our bias, blindness, and our own mistakes … We’re committed to raising our kids so they never grow up feeding this insane pattern and so they’ll do their best to never inflict pain on another being consciously or unconsciously.”
Brie Bella is trying to be a role model
Mom-of-two Brie Bella is determined to set an example when it comes to treating people equally, especially for her daughter Birdie who is now three years old.
“We have to educate our kids,”she told Entertainment Tonight, Us Weekly reports. “We don’t want to shelter them because they’ll never learn. I’m Birdie’s first teacher. I’m her first role model. I’m the first person to teach her to love, so it’s my duty as a parent to instill in her love, kindness and peace.”
Tia Mowry needs people to be anti-racist
It’s not enough to just not be racist, we need to actively be anti-racist. That’s what Tia Mowry is teaching her two kids.
“It starts at home. What people have to understand is this behavior is learned, so it’s about communication. It’s about bringing awareness. It’s about sharing stories. It’s about teaching your child about different cultures, at home, at a young age,” the actress said on the Being Bümo podcast. “I think what’s important, and how you can be anti-racist, is not running away from the problem and saying, ‘Oh, gosh, you know what? This is a little much. I’m not even gonna talk to my child about this.’ No, I think we all should have this conversation.”
Kelly Clarkson says have those "uncomfortable" conversations
On her talk show in June, Kelly spoke to 50 Cent about how she explains the state of the world to her young daughter. “My little girl is 6 and it’s like she catches something, like the news or something, I just have to explain it simple,” Kelly said. “It’s just like, ‘Well, there’s just right and wrong. And this person’s wrong and that’s why they’re crying.’ … And I think everybody needs to have that uncomfortable conversation that [racism] exists and it’s wrong.”
Reese Witherspoon is a positive voice for her children
Reese made a great point on Instagram that “if you aren’t talking to
[your kids], someone else is.” So the best way to make sure that our kids are getting the right kind of dialogue about this issue is to have it ourselves.
“We have to be held accountable for what is happening in this country. What happened to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery – and countless others – can not go without justice. Please talk to your children about racism, privilege, bigotry and hate,” Reese Witherspoon added.
Will do, Reese.
Garcelle Beauvais leads with positivity
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Garcelle Beauvais told Us Weekly that the race conversation started when her kids were really young. “I didn’t want anybody to put any negative connotation on the fact that I’m Black, their dad is white,” she said. “We talked about race early … since they were three … It was just getting ahead of it and putting a positive spin on it before somebody else said something to them.”
Hilaria Baldwin says parents need to bring it up first
Hilaria Baldwin has several children with Alec Baldwin, and she’s no stranger to these tough talks.The biggest thing, she says, is to initate the conversation. “Even if they don’t bring [these things] up first, we must begin conversations to prepare them for what they will experience out in the world. Of course, in an age-appropriate way,” she advised.
Shay Mitchell uses books
When it comes to educating her young daughter, Atlas, Shay Mitchell is already starting. “Included in her nighttime routine, we always read a book to her, and one that we’ve been reading a lot is A Is For Activists,” Shay told Us Weekly. She thinks educational books also make a great gift for new parents.
“I think it’s so incredibly important to start them off at such a young age to learn the importance of the messaging that no matter what you look like, everybody deserves to love and be loved without judgment period. Especially with Atlas coming from a diverse family herself. I want her to know that.”
Justin Timberlake is focusing on the future
Not only does Justin want to teach his son, Silas, about equality for Silas’ own sake, but JT also wants his son to grow up to teach his own children. Justin wrote on Instagram:
“Boys grow up to be fathers. I think about that a lot these days. We try to teach our son to love and to respect everyone — we teach him that all people are all created equal, and that no one should be treated differently because of the color of their skin. We teach him this because one day, he will go on to teach his kids the same. It’s a cycle … the first lessons start at home.”
Chrissy Teigen talks to her kids like adults
The model admitted to Marie Claire that she looks to her husband, John Legend, for support during these kinds of conversations with her little ones.
“When it comes to them being treated differently because of the color of their skin, I’m going to look to John for a lot of help with that because while they are Asian and white too, their skin color is Black,” she said, adding, “We just try to talk to them like little adults, saying it in words they’ll understand, making it known that it’s very serious, and letting them ask as many questions as they need.”
Lauren Conrad sets an example
Lauren has two sons, and she just tries to be the best role model for them that she can in all aspects of life.
“A lot of it has to do with the example you set. Kids are always listening. They’re watching your actions and they’re listening to the way you speak to people, how you speak about people,” she told Us Weekly. “Be a person that your child can be proud of and someone that you hope your child will grow up to be.”
Phaedra Parks knows there's different kinds of privilege
Although she and her family are Black, the former Real Housewives of Atlanta star knows that their lifestyle is not the same as it is for many other Black people. For Phaedra, that was important to educate her children about.
“They’re very politically savvy, but at the same time, it’s always been important to me to be very honest with them about being a person of color, in particular an African American person, and letting them know that although we live a very affluent lifestyle, that’s not always the norm.”
Padma Lakshmi goes to rallies with her daughter
Padma told Page Six that she’s been talking to her daughter about race her whole life. “She’s a biracial child, she’s also someone who’s travelled extensively with me, not only domestically but internationally, so she’s very aware of these issues of inequality, also because of my work with the ACLU, I’ve been able to take her to rallies and things like that,” the Top Chef host said, adding, “I try to expose her to as much in an age appropriate way.”
Jamie Otis expanded her daughter's doll collection
Married at First Sight star Jamie Otis realized one day that most of her daughter’s dolls were white, her books were about white characters, and she watched shows starring white people. “So, we bought Gracie her first [B]lack baby doll & some books where [B]lack kids shine,” Jamie wrote on Instagram. “It’s a start. I will continue to try my best to be loudly anti-racist & educate myself and my children.”
Chance the Rapper is focused on change
He knows it’s an immense task to rewrite the way the system operates, but Chance the Rapper up for the challenge — and he implores all parents to do the same.
“And if we thought that teaching our kids how to read was hard, imagine teaching them that there’s an entire system of oppression that our society is built on, that they can either be complicit in or work to change,” he told Parents magazine. “It’s a difficult task, but it’s like we were born or live in this time for a reason. I think we have a pretty crazy opportunity right now to change the trajectory of humanity.”
Jenna Dewan relies on resources
It’s not enough to just teach her own kids about race, Jenna Dewan wants every parent to educate themselves and their little ones. For National Children’s Day, she shared a number of resources for parents and children alike to help everyone learn about these important issues. Check them out here.
Jennifer Lopez gets her children involved
In June, J. Lo wrote on Instagram that she’d gotten her children involved in a local rally.
“Today I had Emme and Max make me and Alex a sign for the protest … We talked about how if one person doesn’t have justice then no one does. That this country was built on the belief of freedom and justice for all. We must take a stand for what we believe in and fight against the injustices in this world. So we continue to peacefully protest until there is change.”
Kourtney Kardashian wants parents to educate themselves, too
If a parent isn’t educated on a topic, it’s going to be really hard for them to explain it to their children. To avoid doing more harm in this area, parents must work to educate themselves as well as their children. That’s what Kourtney Kardashian thinks.
“We don’t know it all. My children sometimes ask questions that I may not know the answers to, so we explore them together,” she wrote on Instagram. “I’ve felt like I’ve always been on the right side of this, but I have a lot to learn and want to educate myself even more, so that I can be a better mother, a better auntie to my nieces and nephews, a better friend, and a better person.”
January Jones says to never stop talking about racism
Race and eqaulity are forever topics of conversation to have with our children, and January Jones knows this. The actress recently took to Instagram with a photo of her son at a local protest. “I promise that I will always continue to talk to my child about inequality. And I promise to do all I can to learn more.”
It’s the least anyone can do.
