#StopAsianHate: Visible Unity with Dr. Pam Fields
As a pastor, I get this question a lot these days: Why do we need to talk about race and racism with our children?
The events of last week are, once again, evidence enough to get into or, hopefully, continue the conversation about race and racism with our children. Once again, the photographs on social media and in the news media tell the story of a young white man on a killing spree against Black, Indigenous, Persons of Color. As a matter of fact, it is not lost on our children. My family and I were talking about the events in Atlanta at the dinner table. My seventeen-year-old asked, “How is this different from ‘the Mother Emanuel AME shooting’ a few years ago?” Yes, even he could link one event to another. For him, the events are linked by the apparent need to “eliminate” those who are deemed “other” by the shooter.
In our episode with Dr. Pam Fields, we talked about the dimension of our lives that need to explore “us” and “them,” the groups that are “in” and “out.” As parents, we talk about race and racism, first, because it is in front of our faces. We teach our kids that we have the courage to face what is right in front of us. And, second, we can help our kids shape a worldview that embraces those we at one time deemed “other”/“them.” Now, it is one thing to talk about it, and a far more important thing to show our kids that our definition of “us” is expansive.
Here are a few ideas to show “Visible Unity”:
- Go to a religious service with a different ethnic community than your own.
- Participate in a march or protest against violence of women, People of Color, or members of the LGBTQAI+ community.
- Go to a Black-owned Book Store and buy a book.
And, after you have that experience, investigate with your kids what was the same and different. Then, ask: “What learning will you take forward?”
Do not be afraid of the hard conversations! They will shape your kids . . . and, they will shape you.