If you read this blog regularly, you know that I believe we can and should teach children about racism, even from young ages. Talking about racism is an important foundation that parents and teachers need to build first. But how do we also help children take antiracist action? Today, I’m sharing 8 examples of inspiring kid activists against racism.
The antiracist actions they’ve taken include making art, fundraising, and organizing other kids and youth to protest.
7 examples of youth and kid activists against racism
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Nyemah Greenhouse found a creative way around a racist school assignment
When kindergartner Nyemah Greenhouse told her mother that she had to “dress like an Indian” for a school assignment, her mother Tremeka was taken aback. Tremeka was all for her daughter skipping an assignment that relied on racist stereotypes about Native Americans.
But Nyemah didn’t want to get in trouble for not doing her assignment, so they had to come up with a creative solution together.
The assignment came as water protectors at Standing Rock were doing all they could to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. Would Nyemah like to dress up as a NODAPL protestor, her mother wondered?
Nyemah liked the idea, and her teenage sister Taniyah helped her create a vest with the message “Water is Life” written on it.
My sister was supposed to dress like “”””an Indian”””” today for kindergarten. This happened instead pic.twitter.com/uZL4US2iJ9
— T’Chaniyah (@Beysahyay) November 16, 2016
Related Post: Do’s and Don’ts for teaching about Native Americans in preschool and kindergarten
Tyler Gordon uses art to honor exonerated Central Park 5
13 year old Tyler Gordon follows a long tradition of artists who’ve used their work to speak out against racism. Tyler had a chance to meet the 5 men who are part of the exonerated Central Park 5, whose story is told in Ava DuVernay’s mini-series When They See Us.
Meeting the Black and Latino men who were unjustly imprisoned for a crime they didn’t commit changed Tyler’s life. They way they stood up for themselves and “didn’t let [what happened to them] bring their whole lives down” inspired him.
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When it came time to start 8th grade, Tyler decided he wanted a backpack that would honor Yusef, Kevin, Antron, Korey, and Raymond. He couldn’t find one, so he created it himself.
Pearl Pruitt notices the everyday racism of an all white mural at the public pool
I write a lot about the need for white parents to help their kids notice whiteness, so that they don’t think that white is “standard” or “normal.”
I suspect that the adults in Pearl Pruitt’s life have been doing just that. When the 9 year old and her mother Cedar were heading into the public pool in Newton, MA, Pearl stopped to look at a mural hanging there.
She looked up at her mom and said “everyone in that mural is white, and that must not be welcoming for all children.”
Related post: Introducing kids to antiracist activism with Tiffany Jewell
Pearl decided to write a letter to the City about the mural, asking them to change it. In her letter, Pearl wrote that “I noticed that the painting above the front desk at the Gath Pool only had white people in it. To be welcoming of everyone, it should include people with other skin colors too.”
The Pruitts found out that a local art teacher had also been bothered by the mural, and wanted to change it. They family started a GoFundMe for the teacher, which successfully raised money for supplies, so that the mural could be repainted.
Related Post: Are you making these mistakes when you talk to kids about race?
Kids make Mother’s Day cards for Wee Free Black Mamas bailout campaign
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I have such an activist crush on Wee the People, a Boston organization that is raising up kid activists against racism in so many ways.
This past May, the group organized a huge card-making event in support of the Wee Free Black Mamas Bailout. The bailout raises funds to get Black moms who are awaiting trial out of jail in time for Mother’s Day.
At the event, children made cards that not only said “Happy Mother’s Day” but also included messages of freedom. While the children made cards, adults learned about how the money bail system puts Black moms who can’t afford bail at risk of losing their jobs and even their children.
A story time featuring the book Deena Misses Her Mom also helped kids develop empathy for children separated from their parents. Before reading the book, leaders broke down the idea that only people who do bad things go to jail by talking about civil rights heroes such as Rosa Parks.
Are you a caregiver, educator, or community worker who’s hungry for practical and fun antiracism activities and resources to use with children? My Antiracist Kids Inspiration Hub can help!
Griffin Burchard organizes Scout Troop to clean up historic Black cemetery
Many historic Black cemeteries across the country have fallen into disrepair as state and local governments ignore their importance.
When Boy Scout Griffin Burchard took part in a service project at National Cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia, the then 13 year old noticed that the nearby Douglass Cemetery (named after Frederick Douglass) was in far greater need of repair. The historic cemetery contains about 600 graves, many of them of African Americans who were enslaved.
Flooding and downed tree limbs made it difficult to even read the name of the cemetery.
So three years later, Griffin organized his fellow Boy Scouts, as well as a few Girl Scouts, to clean up the debris. He also recycled copper and aluminum siding to raise funds for a sign that tells some of the history of the cemetery. The sign includes one of Frederick Douglass’ most famous quotes: “without a struggle, there can be no progress.”
Griffin’s efforts also prompted local government officials to find a grant that will help them maintain the historic cemetery property.
Related Post: How should we talk with children about slavery?
Kaia Marbin and Lily Ellis launch butterfly project to make the number of children in immigration detention visible
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When 11 year old Kaia Marbin was listening to a radio story about the number of children in immigration detention, she was struck by just how big the number 15,000 is. She told her mom that they needed to do something to show people just how many kids are being held in detention centers.
So she and her friend Lily Ellis (age 10) have joined with Bay area organizations that focus on arts and social change to launch The Butterfly Effect. Their goal: to organize other kid activists against racism to make 15,000 paper butterflies. They’re also asking public organizations throughout the Bay Area to display the butterflies to spread the message that “migration is beautiful.”
Related Post: Wisdom for student activists: 4 guides to social change for tweens and teens
Naomi Wadler won’t let gun violence against Black girls go unnoticed
The first time that most people heard of 11 year old Naomi Wadler was when she made a powerful speech at the 2018 March for our Lives. But Naomi had noticed long before then the “way that Black people were treated differently on the news, and that affected me.”
Naomi knew that when Black girls and women are the victims of violence, their stories receive far less coverage on the news and reach in social media.
The day after the Parkland shooting, Naomi asked her friend Carter to go with her to ask their principal if they could hold a walkout. They began organizing weekend protests, which not only honored those who died at Parkland, but also honored Black girls who died in school shootings but did not receive the same media coverage.
(This interview of Naomi by fellow young activist Marley Dias is incredible.)
Related Post: Marley Dias’ lessons for kid activists
Ms. Spangler’s preschool class writes a letter about white curriculum materials
Originally I only planned to feature 7 examples of kid activists, but I couldn’t resist including this oldie but goodie that shows even young children can take action against racism.
In the book Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, the authors give many examples of how early childhood educators can help kids challenge several forms of bias, including racism.
Nancy Spangler’s 3 and 4 year old class was a place where teachers and students worked hard to make everyone feel included. But one day when she pulled out a game, the teacher noticed that all the characters in the game were white.
She drew the children’s attention to this and asked them if the cards “look like all the people you know?” The children said no, identifying many kinds of people who were missing from the card set. Ms. Spangler helped the children draft a letter to the maker of the cards, where the children shared what they thought was wrong with cards.
The children also used skin tone pens they already had in the classroom to re-color the existing cards so they would “look real.”
