Raising Antiracist Kids Podcast

There are moments in our lives that shift our perspectives on parenting, life and all the in-betweens.Tabitha here: I had one of those precious moments hearing Ashanti Branch speak at the Marketing to Men Summit in New York City. Ashanti Branch, Founder and Executive Director of the Ever Forward Club, is a leader in youth mental health and education reform with 20+ years helping schools build safer, more connected communities. A 2023 U.S. Surgeon General Medallion recipient, 4x TEDx speaker, podcaster, and Fulbright Fellow, he champions healing and authenticity through workshops, media, and storytelling. When I heard Ashanti speak about healthy masculinity, his clarity, his work and his powerful presence were notable and I was left with a profound feeling that I needed to shift some of the ways I was parenting our son. Adam here: We’re parents to a young boy that we’re raising in the age of social media, toxic masculinity, and the impact of folks like Charlie Kirk. He’s being raised during a time when trad wives are being framed as the response to feminism, where white supremacy seeks to teach young men-particularly young white men- that they’re owed something by society and they have a right to be resentful against women and people of color when their expectations don’t get met. So when Tabitha met Ashanti, we knew we had to have him on the Raising Anti-racist Kids podcast to talk about the intersection between healthy masculinity and antiracist parenting.Take a listen to the episode and hear Ashanti talk about his upbringing by a single mother, his career pivot to education, and a simple but powerful tool he uses to help boys and young men get in touch with their emotions. Some links to check out: * Million Mask Movement* Ever Forward Club* Branch SpeaksThanks so much for listening. Let us know what’s coming up for you after you listen. Love up on your kids and enjoy your week, okay? Tabitha & Adam This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raisingantiracistkids.com/subscribe

Having big conversations with little kids is a skill that none of our prenatal classes taught us.The art of breaking down big concepts into kid-appropriate language that kids actually understand is necessary whether you’re talking about why there’s no white history month or whether you’re teaching your little kiddo about pronouns. For kids, these conversations aren’t hard because they’re already focused on what’s fair and equitable in their own little worlds. For us adults, though, it’s helpful for us to use language and techniques that reach kids where they’re at.We always describe our antiracist parenting work as a journey. Sometimes we need to go to other parents to learn about how others are maneuvering raising kind, empathetic, justice-oriented children. So naturally, we wanted to chat with Ailen Arreaza, the co-founder and executive director of ParentsTogether, an organization that really gets it right with teaching us parents and caregivers how to talk with kids about just about anything.If you’re curious about how to have big convos with little kiddos and are looking for 3 direct steps on how to do this, plus a host of other really powerful guidance, take a listen.If you’re looking for more information on ParentsTogether, check out their:InstagramWebsiteThat’s it from us for today, friends.Thanks so much for being on this journey with us. Take good care of yourself and your kiddos and let us know how this episode landed for you, okay?Tabitha & Adam This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raisingantiracistkids.com/subscribe

We are in full back-to-school mode in our home, as are many parents and caregivers around the country. Our older kiddo is going to middle school and our little one is starting first grade. Amidst all the big feelings (from us and them!), we’ve been thinking about the ways in which us parents and caregivers can support school communities in infusing antiracism and equity throughout. So we invited two people we admire to talk about just this and be our very first guests on our podcast, The Raising Antiracist Kids Podcast.Raising Antiracist Kids is a reader-supported publication so be sure to subscribe and share your thoughts with us.Andrews Lefkowits and Dr. Val Brown are the co-hosts of the Integrated Schools Podcast, an award-winning podcast which is a part of their work to prepare families with racial or economic privilege to commit to integrating their children, driving new narratives about education, and advocating for justice in our public schools. Integrated Schools now has 43 local chapters around the country and their podcast won a Signal Award and was nominated for 2 Ambies.Take a listen to the podcast episode here and above. We referenced the following Integrated Schools Podcast episodes in our conversation: Gratitude and Validation: One Family's Journey Through Integrated SchoolsWhat Was Lost: Noliwe Rooks on The Failures of IntegrationAnd be sure to dive into their other content for more deeply enriching and just incredible conversations that will shift the way we think about equity and schooling. As always, take good care of yourselves and your little ones. Try to get some fresh air this weekend, okay?Tabitha & Adam This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raisingantiracistkids.com/subscribe

RESOURCESFOR ADULTS:On Tyranny-Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century by Timothy SnyderGet banned books for you and your children. Find a list here.FOR KIDS:We Care: A First Conversation About Justice by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli (ages 3-10)Stamped (graphic novel) by Ibram X. Kendi (pre-teen and teen) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raisingantiracistkids.com/subscribe

The Gift of the Great Buffalo by New York Times bestselling author, Carole LindstromBlack Boy, Rise by Brynne Barneslittle big man by Varian JohnsonMy Hearing, My Way by Stacey Armas, Au.D. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raisingantiracistkids.com/subscribe

Antiracist Parenting Under Fascism Part 1 and Part 2TO READBlack History Timeline 1954-1968 Read Through History (kid edition)To WATCHXavier Riddle and The Secret MuseumThis video by Caroline J. Sumlin is a message for us parents who are aiming to raise antiracist kids. Many parents (we’ve done it, too!) have used the phrase “because of the color of our/their skin” when explaining racism. Sumlin explains why this is problematic and what to say instead.TO DOVisit the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.Take a trip to the African American Museum in Philadelphia. What are sundown towns?Explore the Rosa Parks Museum at Troy University in Montgomery, Alabama. When we went on our Family Civil Rights History Road Trip, our kids had a blast while learning a lot. Look out for the interactive bus experience that is sure to bring kids’ learning to life.That’s it from us for the moment. Dive into the resources we shared and let us know which your kids are loving. Take good care of your heart, your kids and your sanity, ok? We got us.Tabitha & Adam This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raisingantiracistkids.com/subscribe

PART 1 in our series on parenting under fascism This moment in history calls for a reminder of why we’re here.* We’re here because we love our kids AND we love ALL kids.* We want to help raise bold changemakers, unafraid of fusing antiracism and justice in their lives now and for the future.* We’re here because we’re building a future different from this one and we know that parenting is one of the starting points for just that.* We’re here because ALL children deserve safety, joy, education and love, including transgender children, immigrant children and undocumented children.To learn more about the weaponization of “CRT” and what parents can do about it, read this article I wrote in 2021.Fact-check everything (recognizing that the executive orders and attacks on our communities are moving so fast even fact-checking is imperfect). I found this Emotional Freedom Tapping Technique from Dra. Hernández, a bilingual therapist, to be super helpful.Here are two pathways to action:* The powerful women behind FEMINIST compiled a host of volunteer opportunities according to issue areas in The People’s Toolkit. Get into it, find a political home and get to work.* The Immigration Legal Resource Center provides Red Cards that you can print and distribute. These cards share resources on what to do if ICE is encountered. See instructions on how to use them here (in 3 clear graphics).What We’re Reading:Our friend and longtime organizer, Justin Ruben, wrote a powerful piece called Six Rules for Defeating a Shock-and-awe Strategy: Stay S.T.R.O.N.G. I literally read this every time I feel myself getting overwhelmed or exhausted. It’s vital reading for all organizers but I also found it useful as a parent trying to figure out what on earth to say to my kids.See full transcription at raisingantiracistkids.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://

In today's episode of The Raising Antiracist Kids Podcast, we talk about how we're maintaining hope and a spirit of resistance under fascism. We share a few tips in Part 1 of this series.p.s. If you are an immigrant and are looking for trusted guidance on what to do if ICE shows up, The National Immigrant Justice Center provides step-by-step instructions if you are undocumented, have temporary status or are a citizen. For employers, the National Immigration Law Center provides steps to take to protect your employees and yourself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.raisingantiracistkids.com/subscribe

In this episode of Raising Anti-Racist Kids, we use stories from our family’s recent road trip through the South to visit sites tied to the Civil Rights Movement as a way to examine the role of the white parent in a family like ours. We planned the trip around the kids, yes, but also made sure to  organize our outings to give Tabitha space as a Black woman to process the sites and experiences on her own time. We also talk about our ongoing efforts to teach our kids real history, so they can organically connect the dots to what they encounter in today’s world, while still centering joy in their experiences. Below, a lightly edited transcript from our conversation. We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! Raising Antiracist Kids is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.Tabitha: Adam and I have a multiracial family. I am a Black multiracial Trinidadian American immigrant woman, and Adam is a…Adam: White, Ashkenazi Jewish, Minnesotan man.Tabitha: And we just wrapped up a trip to a couple of Southern states where we took our kids on a civil rights history road trip, and there were a couple instances where we had to really think through how we were going to show up as a multiracial family, both as a whole and as individuals. There were a couple things that we were juggling. We have two small kids, our kids are nine and four, and we wanted to find activities that they can learn from that would be meaningful to them at their ages. But for me, it was the first time that I was experiencing some of this and I wanted to make sure that I was able to be present and process all of the emotions that came up, without thinking about having to run after children, having to make sure that the kids weren't knocking things over, that they were being reverent in certain spaces. So we decided for some of the sites that you would take the kids to more kid-centered activities since you had been to some of these sites. And I would go to these sites and experience them on my own.Adam: Yeah, and you actually wrote about this in the last newsletter where you talked a little bit about when we visited the Whitney Plantation in Louisiana. You went ahead. I mean, that was one site, so we couldn't really split up. You went ahead and I found a way to help bring the kids along because that was particularly important. And you still felt that whiteness had a way of overpowering your experience. In some ways,Tabitha: I wouldn't say it overpowered my experience. I would say that it seeped in. There were instances where I knew that I wanted to p

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.raisingantiracistkids.comWelcome to our new Substack. On today's episode, we're tackling how to talk to young kids about equity using the hit Netflix show, Dee & Friends in Oz. Get into a detailed conversation guide to use with your little ones. And hear about an event we're hosting at the Brooklyn Public Library with Ben & Jerry's. And lastly, we share Tabitha's interview with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.