Racism and Resilience

Racism has a profound impact on the health and well-being of our kids. This week, racism against the Black community is being laid bare for all families to see—from the pandemic's disproportionate impact to police brutality and other racist violence. For this week's show, child psychologist Allison Briscoe-Smith will share her advice for talking with your kids about big, important topics like racism, ways to promote resilience, and committing to action.

Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith is a clinical psychologist and professor at the Wright Institute, where she's director of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Allison's recent article for Common Sense is How to Talk with Kids About Racism and Racial Violence. In it, she suggests talking to kids about racism in the context of all the other foundational conversations you're already having, about things like fairness, kindness, working hard, and who we are as people and communities.

After the show:

• Read Allison's full article, "How to Talk with Kids About Racism and Racial Violence."
• Allison was also a panelist on a recent hour-long webinar about helping kids process racism and violence: "Helping Kids Process Violence, Trauma, and Race in a World of Nonstop News."
• And here's where we've collected Common Sense's race and racism resources.
• Sign your kids up to be the next Beyoncé or Beethoven! QuaranTunes are online music and art lessons for young people age 4 to 14.

And we want to hear your tips and suggestions! How are these conversations playing out in your family? Send your stories to [email protected], and we might invite you on the show.

Parent Trapped was brought to you by founding sponsor First Republic Bank. To learn more about their services, visit http://firstrepublic.com.