I am a white mother on a lifelong journey to be an anti-racist. My full-time job is with an organization that invests in racial equity leaders and I am consistently doing the work to both learn and unlearn so much of what I have consumed throughout my life. While I have a long way to go, I have committed to being on this journey and to sharing what has helped me.
To be honest, I struggled to write this post. Not because it is unimportant (it is), or that I am worried about getting it just right (I won’t). Instead, it is because I believe that as a society, we need to more frequently center Black voices. So to get started, I highly recommend reading this, this, and this. Today I will share some of the specific ways that I believe white moms can honor Black History Month and work to build a better world for all children.
Read Books By Black Authors
I grew up in a small Massachusetts town where most people I knew looked like me. I then had the privilege of going to an incredibly diverse private high school and my world opened up. Suddenly I was reading the works of Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, and other incredible Black writers and poets. Start here, and see what happens.
In more recent years, I have deepened my focus on understanding history and current perspectives. For non-fiction, I highly recommend the following books: How To Be An Anti-Racist, So You Want To Talk About Race, Me and White Supremacy, Caste, Begin Again, White Fragility, and The 1691 Project. Make sure that you are reading books that encourage you to think beyond your own perspective and experience.
Buy Children’s Books That Celebrate Black Children
Take a look at your bookshelf and take note of how diverse both the authors and the characters are. When my first child was born, I quickly realized there was not much diversity represented in the books. I sat down, did some research, and found a world of new and diverse books to discover. Some of the books that I have loved most are: Anti-Racist Baby, Hair Love, Change Sings, and Sulwe.
When you are buying new books for yourself or your children, do your best to purchase them from a Black-owned bookstore.
Follow And Support Black Leaders
At my day job, I have the opportunity to learn from innovative leaders from across the globe every day. Each day I find myself inspired, heartbroken, and committed to learning more and doing better. There are so many that I could highlight, but I will name just a few leaders and organizations that you should absolutely follow and support. If you love to walk and move your body, check out GirlTrek. Their Black History Bootcamp is a beautiful resource to start learning more about powerful Black stories. If you care about the inequities that exist in healthcare and childbirth, be sure to look at the National Birth Equity Collaborative. If you are ready to do something, join the movement at Color of Change. They will help guide you to take action on issues we should all care about.
Get Uncomfortable And Keep Learning
If we want to move towards a world that allows all people to thrive, white people need to be willing to get uncomfortable. Yes, I frequently worry about whether I am saying the right thing or doing the “right” work. Every day I have to make the decision to look towards the issues, when my own privilege would make it so easy to turn away. What I do know for sure, is that silence is not okay. Maintaining the status quo is not okay. I will continue to fumble and make mistakes, and I will always feel uncomfortable when I get called out.
At the end of the day though, my comfort as a white mother is not the priority. My priority is to do my part in moving the world towards a place where we are not just celebrating Black History in February. Every day I imagine a world that is just and equitable. A world where we confront our history and make a decision to move forward in a better way. We can get there when we (white mothers) are willing to show up, get uncomfortable, learn, and do better.
