Anti-racism education non-profit WE ARE, together with the Ad Council, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and IPG DXTRA have launched a new public awareness campaign to encourage White parents to talk with their children about racism ‘early and often’.
The Dear White Parents campaign features a website with a curated library of resources and discussion guides and anti-racism workshops. It also includes a short, unscripted film directed by Kevin Wilson Jr, featuring four families discussing racism with their children. The film shares enlightening, and sometimes uncomfortable, family discussions focused on parents helping their children understand racism through current events; as well as their own stories about how they first became aware of racism.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Kevin Wilson, Jr, with narration by anti-racism educator Dr Ronda Taylor Bullock, Dear White Parents asks the critical question, “How old were you when you first became aware of race?”
TEACHING CHILDREN ABOUT RACISM
“Children as young as four years old show signs of racial bias and racism. But we’ve also seen young children act as advocates for fairness or equity,” pointed out Bullock, Executive Curator of WE ARE; an anti-racism education organisation that runs camps and workshops for children, parents and educators. “Teaching children to recognise and resist racism early are critical first steps to raising an anti-racist generation.”
“I was six years old when I was called the n-word for the first time. It was a devastating experience and I remember it vividly,” shared Wilson. “Dear White Parents is about the powerful impact that everyday conversations about race and racism can have on children. The weight of these discussions has fallen on Black and Brown parents for centuries. We want to encourage and equip White parents to share in this responsibility.”
For generations, Black and Brown parents have discussed racism with their children; as a means of preparing them to deal with the racism they are likely to face in society. Conversely, in a recent survey carried out by The Conversation, on how people’s views of race were influenced by their parents, 65% of White adults said their parents rarely/never spoke with them about race/racism. However, respondents whose parents did speak with them about racism as children were more likely to have similar conversations with their own children’ resulting in inter-generational impact.
FIGHTING RACISM
ADL, the leading anti-hate organisation, developed the custom guide to help parents discuss the topics raised in the Dear White Parents film. The campaign forms part of the Ad Council’s Racial Justice Series; a platform designed to support creatives from like-minded organisations dedicated to dismantling systemic racism and injustice. Through the Ad Council’s support, the campaign will air in time and space donated by media outlets throughout the country.
IPG DXTRA’s Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer Margenett Moore-Roberts came up with the idea; and IPG DXTRA – a global collective of advertising, marketing and communications agencies – developed and produced the campaign. A multi-disciplinary team from across several IPG DXTRA agencies collaborated over the course of several months to create the platform. The collective included members from The Brooklyn Brothers, Golin, Hugo & Cat, Resolute Digital, R&CPMK, and Weber Shandwick.
“I am inspired by the way our agencies have come together to build such a powerful platform to focus attention on creating a new reality around racism for future generations,” commented IPG DXTRA’s Chairman and CEO Andy Polansky. “We’re committed to driving awareness and momentum for the people and organisations who have dedicated their careers and lives to fighting racism.”
Click here to access the Dear White Parents Guide platform.
Earlier this year, Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organisation behind Sesame Street, also launched new resources to help families and educators talk to their children about race and racism. Click here to read more.
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