On August 5th, 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared racism a public health crisis in our state. Around the country, millions of families of color are enduring racial trauma, which is harmful to children’s health. Child Trends says that “events that may cause racial trauma include threats of harm and injury, hate speech, humiliating and shaming events, or any other form of individual, historical, or institutional racism.”
The American Psychological Association has dedicated a portion of their website to Racial and Ethnic Socialization (RES), resources intended to “uplift youth through healthy conversation about race.” Their parent tool “Racial Stress and Self-Care” contains valuable information, including:
- The emotional, physical, and spiritual impacts of racism on parents
- Potential reactions to racial stress or trauma
- How to confront the impacts of racial stress as a parent so that you can be the best caregiver you possibly can
To view additional RES resources from the APA, follow this link.
This PDF from the BLM movement represents a comprehensive collection of lessons to empower us toward healing and continued action toward racial justice (click to open PDF):
Talking to Children About Tragedies & Other News Events
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) encourages parents, teachers, child care providers, and others who work closely with children to filter information about the crisis and present it in a way that their child can accommodate, adjust to, and cope with.