We are in a season of protest, riots, and a call for change. People from many races and ethnicities are speaking out for what has been ignored for many years. It is not just in this country but the message around the world has been the same. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said it best “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character”.
It is being echoed throughout the political, judicial, educational, and law enforcement systems among many others. Changing injustice and racism systemically means changing what exists in the minds of the people working in those systems and that is a challenge. However, there is a place that change can happen and that is in the home with our children. A famous scripture in the bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Our children absorb what they hear and see if they see and hear racial comments or people being treated differently, they will follow that practice in their circle. We all know that children can be heartless and selfish in the way they treat their siblings and others. We have a responsibility to teach them intolerance to racism and injustice. Let them see what acceptance of diversity looks like. I remember raising my children and letting them know that we are not going to tolerate insults toward each other. Words like stupid, ugly, dumb, etc. were not tolerated because words leave scars.
We are in season that calls for parents, grandparents, relatives, and educators to make a difference in the children by voicing the message to treat people with equality and not based on the color of their skin.