Repair The World

Recommitting To Combating Racism

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, one of the children of Lee Pelton, the president of Emerson College, told him, “‘Dad, I don’t think you need to say anything if you don’t want to. Who even knows what to say right now. And as you said, it’s more up to white people to say something now.”

As a white person, I’ve been moved to sadness and anger in the days since Floyd’s murder.

It’s served as a reminder of one of the reasons I work in education. Why my personal mission is to transform learning so that all individuals—regardless of their background and identity and unfettered by the biases of others—can build their passions and fulfill their human potential. So that all individuals can discover how they can best contribute positively to that world—and do just that. So that we can create the opportunity for all individuals to be inspired by others and make progress. And why I believe that we must tailor learning for each and every child so that we embrace and view each as an individual human being full of promise, not a widget in a factory-model education system.

Regardless of your view of why schools and systems of education and learning at all levels don’t serve all students well—and yes, they are just one piece in a larger set of needed changes—it’s undeniable we can do better. And we must.

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When my children were born, one of the most influential books I read was Nurture Shock. In a chapter, “Why White Parents Don’t Talk About Race,” the book’s authors were clear in their view of the implication of the research on the topic. Children notice skin color and race far earlier than most parents assume. They are not blind to color. And they use race, among other characteristics, to segregate with those “like” them.

In one study by Dr. Phyllis Katz, 68% of 5- and 6-year olds used race to sort a pile of cards with drawings of people on them. Only 16% used gender. Another 16% used characteristics like age or mood.

A key conclusion is that although parents are comfortable talking about topics like gender when children are young—“women can be scientists,” for example—they are far less comfortable talking about race. But they shouldn’t be because children fill our silence or our requests that they not make certain observations with their own conclusions. As I’m reminded often, children are great at observing, but they lack the context to interpret. That’s where they need our help.

We need to be explicit with children about race far earlier and in unmistakable terms that children understand.

The current moment is an opportunity to try harder. Our children’s library contains books that speak explicitly to race, which were the jumping off point for family conversations. But we can do better. And not just in our children’s library, but in mine as well.

It’s also a reminder that action matters, but talk and awareness have an interrelated role as well.

As a wise colleague said, none of us alone can make the world right. That’s not fair to any individual. But each of us must commit to repairing the world—“Tikkun Olam”—in the ways that we can. So let’s commit anew to that. Our children deserve nothing less.