Raising Children Without Bias

How to Unlearn Racism So You Don't Limit Your Children's Potential

By Deb Capone

Don Imus' ridiculing remarks directed at the Rutgers University women's basketball team coupled with the Korean government's concern that the horrific actions of a Korean-American at Virginia Tech would spark backlash against Koreans has put racism on the front line. These unfortunate events have forced us all to face the state of racism and its repercussions for our children.

We are now forced to

• relinquish the fantasy that racism doesn't exist or it's "better" than it used to be.
• recognize that racism has serious consequences.
• admit that if we can't raise our children without biases and racist attitudes then we are limiting their potential.

This really is good news. Now we can start unlearning our bad habits of racism and bias.

Racism is a habit. It's something we learned. And what can be learned can also be unlearned. It takes time, effort and commitment. But it is doable.

Experts believe that it takes as long as 30 days to break a simple habit like the order your put your shoes on in the morning. So unlearning your racism habits may take some work. Don't expect overnight results. Take things step-by-step and day-by-day – starting now.

Here are 4 steps to unlearning racism and raising confident children in the 21st century:

We actually talk about race all the time, but we do it in code. Much of our discussions about everyday life – politics, education, welfare, taxes and even movies, entertainers, sports and neighborhood happenings – have racial underpinnings. Racism, like any "ism," gets more power when we don't talk about it openly. First, admit that racism exists in today's society as recent events clearly demonstrate. Then we can make the issue less scary by getting racism out of its closet and talking about it openly.

Want to see more?

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