Racial Equality

Racial Equality

By Rose Kartchner

          With the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, it has brought to light racial inequalities and how we treat and view people of color. It’s encouraged people to learn more about different people, be involved, and think about how they treat others. Some people have shared on social media different resources that can help. Some people have signed petitions, and donated money to certain businesses.
          However, as kids, sometimes it’s hard to know how we can help. I don’t even have a phone, for crying out loud. So how can kids (and adults) help racial inequality?
          One idea that you can do to learn more is to ask your parents questions about different races and cultural events in history. And don’t just learn about Black people. Learn about Asians, Latinos, Native Americans, and any other race that you can think of. This can help you learn about different people’s histories, and what’s happening now in the world. It’s good to know the good and bad in your world, even if it happened 100 years ago. This can also help us create empathy for people, because we can know their challenges.
          You can even look up (with your parent’s permission) fun resources to help you learn about different people’s histories. Colorlylove.co even has an ‘ABC’s Black History’ coloring page for free. So you can draw and learn at the same time! You could even try to learn some words in a different language.
          Another idea like the last one is to know and love who you are. Study your family history and notice the good parts, and the less flattering parts. Learn about challenges that your ancestors have been through and overcome.
          A good idea that I really like is to read books about different cultures and races. Some good ones are ‘Brown Girl Dreaming’, ‘Hidden Figures’, ‘Buffalo Bird Girl’, and ‘Henry’s Freedom Box’. You should also read books by authors of different races, like Jacqueline Woodson, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Christopher Paul Curtis. Those people are all Black authors, but read books by other people of race too.
          Making friends and really getting to know people around you who look different than you is a really good idea. Sometimes people tend to only make friends with people who look like them. Sure, you might find some good friends, but people that look different are awesome too! I have a friend who is Mexican/Navajo and she is one of my best friends. Even if you don’t want to be best friends with the person, at least try to get to know them better. Treat them like you would want to be treated. You might be surprised by what you find out!
          Maybe these ideas seem hard to do. But you don’t have to do all of these at once. You can if you want, but usually it’s a good idea to take it a step at a time. Remember that even these things can make a difference on others and how you look at people. I hope that these ideas will help you develop a better love for other people and help bring racial equality into the world.