White Parents, Black & Brown Kids: So Much More than Hair
6 weeks of anti-racist education, self-reflection, strategizing, and community building for white parents and caregivers raising Black and Brown children.
Saturdays: September 12 - October 17, 2020, 10AM - 12PM PT
This series includes 6 consecutive Saturday sessions, running from 10AM - 12PM Pacific Time (1PM - 3PM Eastern Time) via Zoom:
September 12
September 19
September 26
October 3
October 10
October 17
Who is this for?
Are you a white parent* or primary caregiver for a Black or Brown child?
Do you want to help your child develop a healthy racial identity?
Do you want to be a strong advocate for your child and help them develop skills for navigating and coping with the interpersonal and structural racism they will encounter throughout their lives?
Are you ready to engage in deep self-reflection about the racial scripts, stories, biases and beliefs you were taught and may still unconsciously hold?
Do you want to build community, mutual support and accountability with other white parents striving to be anti-racist and better support their Black and Brown children?
If you answered “yes” to all of the above, please join Theresa and Kellie for this unique 6-week facilitated experience!
*Any interested non-Black parents/caregivers of color raising Black children are also welcome to join us. Before registering, please weigh the emotional/energetic costs of participating in a predominantly white space with the potential benefits of exploring how scripts of whiteness and anti-Blackness may also show up in your family.
Why is this important?
Now more than ever, white people are waking up to the realities of structural racism, police violence, social inequalities and health disparities faced by Black, Indigenous and other communities of color. Unfortunately, many white parents unintentionally pass on cultural scripts, values and beliefs to their Black and Brown children that unintentionally replicate social patterns of white supremacy and anti-Blackness within their families, and leave their children ill-prepared for coping with and navigating the experiences of racism they will face throughout their lives. For example, have you ever said:
“It doesn’t matter what color we are, it just matters that we love each other!”
Race does matter. In everything. The love of a white parent does not protect or provide immunity to children of color from racism and discrimination. This is just one example of countless scripts, beliefs and values of whiteness that white parents routinely, and often unconsciously, pass on to their children. These white cultural scripts and values can create serious trauma in the psyches of Black and Brown children raised in white families, and deep familial rifts and conflicts as young adults find stark contrasts between what their parents taught them and how the rest of the world perceives and treats them.
What will the sessions cover?
In this 6-week series, we will unpack our internalized whiteness and develop strategies for being supportive, empowering, anti-racist parents. We will respond to current events and participants’ goals and interests in our weekly sessions and online discussions, as we:
Gain a thorough understanding of key concepts, including: structural racism, interpersonal racism, anti-Blackness, intersectionality, anti-racism and racial justice.
Explore how structural racism impacts, influences and shows up in our children’s lives and in our relationships with them.
Identify some of the common and problematic scripts, values and beliefs we hold that may have served us as white people, but are detrimental to the well-being of our Black and Brown children.
Offer strategies for unpacking your own whiteness, and teaching your child to embrace their racial identity with your full awareness, love, and support.
Share strategies for interrupting racism in your extended family, at school, and in your community.
Discover how to build stronger, more supportive relationships with your children by recognizing how their racialized experience of the world is different from your own, so you can show up as a their most dedicated anti-racist advocate and accomplice.
What do you get?
6 live online group sessions lead by experienced racial justice trainers and facilitators Kellie Shaw, a Black mother of Black children, and Theresa Logan, a white mother of multiracial children (Learn more about us below!).
Access to session recordings to catch up if you miss a live session or want to return to the content later.
Homework and practice assignments between sessions, additional resources, and ongoing support in your personal processing from facilitators and other participants.
Breakout discussion groups with parents whose children share the same/a similar racial identity to your child.
Breakout groups for adoptive parents, biological parents, foster parents, and other caregivers to discuss the nuances of these issues within their family structures/situations.
A private, moderated facebook group to continue the conversation, share resources and ask questions between sessions, and for at least 6 months beyond the completion of the series.
Opportunities to build community and connect with other parents outside of the scheduled sessions.
NOTE: We will not actually be discussing or offering a how-to guide on hair and skin care for your child - there are plenty of online resources covering those topics, and we encourage you to seek them out!
Meet your Facilitators:
Kellie Shaw
“I designed this workshop because of all the Black adults I meet every day who were raised by white parents, who never learned to say, “It’s ok that I am Black.” I want to help you save your child a lot of labor and anguish.
I bring a lifetime of experience to this work: I was raised by my adoptive mother, and I have been actively parenting my own children for nearly 40 years - my oldest child is 38 and my youngest is 17! I am currently navigating the unique challenges and joys of parenting a Black trans child, and I’m excited to share my passion for lifting up, loving and defending all Black and Brown children with you.”
Theresa Logan
“I am a white mother of 3 multiracial Black children - the photos on this page are of my actual family (kids, sister, nieces and nephews). Over the past decade of my journey as a parent, I have been deeply engaged in unpacking my own internalized whiteness and “colorblindness.” By listening to and learning from many Black family members, friends and colleagues, I have developed the knowledge and frameworks necessary to support my children in understanding the full beauty of their multicultural identities, loving their Blackness, confronting experiences of racism at school and in the community, and being empowered advocates for justice. I’m excited to have this opportunity to help other white parents learn to do the same for their kids!”
Fee:
Recognizing that many families are facing extreme difficulties during the COVID-19 global pandemic, we are offering this unique series on a sliding scale of $150 - $300. We ask that you please consider 2 things when deciding how much you can afford to pay:
This is an invaluable investment in your child's future and in the quality of your relationship with them, that will have lasting, lifelong positive impacts.
Your fee supports two single-mothers' ability to provide for their families and be fairly compensated for the 50+ years of combined experience that has gone into the design and development of this series.
Please stretch to pay as much of the full fee as you are able. If you would like to apply for one of the limited number of additional scholarships, please click here.