Have You Talked to Your Child About Race?
Anderson and CNN reporter Soledad O'Brien talked about a special CNN race study they uncovered, which involved 145 children. In particular, Anderson focused on a seventh-grader named Mikayla, who commented on a set of pictures depicting a white girl picking up money behind an African American girl, and vice versa.
While Mikayla told her version of what she thought the pictures meant, parents Jim and Jennifer watched the video of their daughter with Anderson. After viewing the video, Jennifer said, "I would definitely be interested to have that conversation with her and find out why her perception was different based upon the color of the girl's skin." Watch the video to find out what Mikayla said about the two pictures.
Many of the parents who watched their children participate in this race experiment revealed they did not have a discussion about race with their children, which leads us to ask: have you talked to your child about this topic?
If your child took this test, how would he/she interpret the pictures? Post your comments below, and be sure to watch "Anderson's" "Race in America" segment, airing Tuesday, April 17.
Comments
As a kindergarten teacher in midtown Toronto, I would be interested in getting the pictures to see how the children in my class would respond. We have a very diverse classroom and rarely hear any racial slurs at our school. I am very interested in seeing if they even notice any difference between the two pictures. Please let me know where I can download or get hold of the pictures. Thank you.
We I was a child. We took in what was called "fresh air kids". Black kids from NYC, came to the country.
For international people, people with historical exposure at home.. always are aware of races and racial discrimination and what the world has gone thru ..
There are dominating, suppressing races and then there are suppressed races. But it is the power play and who is in power that changes the view of the people. At any point in time, suppression occurs for various reasons..
Yesterday NPR had a talk about an American family ( German ) who migrated to US from Germany. But her mother always maintained that she is french in public and never disclosed her German roots and Nazi stuff other than only to her children.
For example, if you talk to a British & Europeans, they say they uplifted India & Africa blah blah blah..
But if you dig the history and talk to well read Indians, they say India totally lost everything, intellectual, material, social well being of the subcontinent due to foreign invasion and centuries of suppression. British called Gandhi a Coolie Barrister. Coolie is a slang ( dog) for laborer. Gandhi did come from a wealthy family with his father being a devaan - a governor .. British called laborers ( people who did manual work in the field and houses ) the untouchables .. Gandhi when he returned to India after living in England and South Africa for decades dressed like a laborer and burnt his suites .. They called him a Coolie ( even tho oxford educated) and he represented himself as one and hand made his own clothes in public and openly and lived in Ashram to prove a point.
The concept of race and suppression is intermingled with slavery .. which started before Romans.. Slaves in Roman time were not necessarily Africans, they were whites too, mostly people who lost in the war..
Mostly who is viewed as superior and who is inferior not always tied to the color of the skin or present times, but what particular race has stood for in history of mankind.. and that is a tough one to fight with.. One can hope to change, by competing at present times for oneself, one person at a time.. ( but that is not all that empowering thought or is it??)
Bias, suppression and racial implications are a deep rooted issues in the society.. and it is complicated .. But addressing it one issue at a time in present times does give better handle on the issue at hand.. one thing at a time.
Hi, Please can you tell me where I can get the pictures,so that I can test my kids. Thanks so much.
My first recollection of racial differences was at the age of six years when I lived in Great Britain ( my dad was as AF officer). I dirst waw a black child on the school playground on a military base and was fasciated. I had an English nanny who gave me a black baby doll. In my mind, it was an answer to the racial issue without ofending my parents... this was 1964 My mother did not save the baby doll. So sad. Taught my daughter to revere and respect racial differences. Thanks Anderson.
Where can I get the pictures to test my children? Please let me know
where can you get those pictures? i want to try it on my kids!