How to educate children to take a stand against racism – 07/19/2023 – Equilíbrio

“Racism is an ugly thing, it makes black people sad.” This is how Hortência Miranda, a 5-year-old black girl, defines the act.

The girl is the daughter of Aquila Bruno Miranda, 34, who believes it is essential to work on the topic from early childhood. A doctoral student in Social Psychology at UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais), she says that the subject is still little explored by parents, something that needs to change.

“One of the main arguments is that the child is innocent, or that the topic is too heavy to be dealt with the child”, she says, based on what she observes in her clinical and academic experiences.

For experts, developing children and adolescents who take a stand against racism and do not commit acts of discrimination involves presenting relevant black figures from childhood, in addition to not hiding the fact that racial prejudice exists.

The Center for Child Development at Harvard University has compiled studies on everyday life involving “structural racism”, a theory used to indicate societies structured on the basis of racial discrimination and prejudice. The researchers point out that dealing with racism on a daily basis has a sometimes invisible, but lasting and cruel effect on the health, body and brain of children. In addition, they still impact “learning, behavior, physical and mental health”.

To prevent your children from committing acts of prejudice, the first step is to explain to boys and girls what racism is so that they are aware that the phenomenon is a reality in Brazil, according to Paola Cristina Nogueira Xavier, 39, member of the Psicopretas collective and clinical psychologist in the public and private network.

“First, these parents have to be aware that racism exists, because this is a discussion that we have a lot here in Brazil. Because we are in a mixed country, some people say that it does not exist because everyone has a black relative in the family, but it is not like that. Nobody becomes anti-racist by having someone black in the family”, says the professional.

The first conversation can be guided by what the child or adolescent already knows. Questions like “What do you know about the subject”, “Have you heard about it?”, “Do you know someone who has been through a situation of racism?” can help.

Xavier also says that the subject can be approached in age-appropriate language, offering books with black authors, films or series with black protagonists, or even children’s games.

For best results, parents or guardians also need to be prepared. It is necessary to seek knowledge on the subject, to have black people in social life and references in spaces of power and decision.

What is the appropriate age?

Aquila Miranda, who is also specialized in family health, says that the subject must permeate the child’s development from the beginning.

To exemplify, she highlights a sentence by psychiatrist and writer Neusa Santos Souza: “racism comes in the subject’s life story before he is born”.

“Before birth, people are already imagining what our body will be like. In the case of an interracial family, they will be drawn to the black mother, or the white father. What will the nose be like? There is a desire, an expectation, often due to racism, for this body to be whitened. So if this happens before birth, the child is already marked”, he says.

The professional also points out that those responsible should be aware of how the subject is discussed in schools.

Law 10,639, for example, establishes the teaching of Afro-Brazilian history and culture in schools, with the aim of recovering “the contribution of black people in the social, economic and political areas relevant to the History of Brazil”. In addition, Law 11,645 “makes the teaching of indigenous and Afro-Brazilian history and culture mandatory in all public and private schools from elementary to high school”.

How to teach children and adolescents to take a stand against racism

• Teach children what racism is, emphasizing that prejudice exists in Brazil. It is important that parents also seek knowledge;

• Address differences between cultures, religions, lifestyles, and teach about the importance of respecting differences;

• Insert representations of black people in spaces of power in everyday life through literature, music, drawings, animations, films and series;

• Having black people in social life, as friends;

• Attend spaces that value black culture;

• Explain why certain “jokes” are wrong and how children and adolescents should position themselves in these situations;

• Exclude racist expressions from vocabulary, as children reproduce what they see adults doing or saying;

• Check how the educational institution is approaching the subject.