What can we learn when children speak about race and social justice?

To prompt thoughtful conversations about race in St. Louis, Danielle Zoll, a part-time family portrait photographer with a background in early childhood education, challenged a diverse group of parents to ask children (ages 2–11) questions about racism and how they see the world today. When creating the questions, Zoll thought about how the parents might feel while asking them and the ages of the participants.

These photos were taken when social justice murals were painted onto boarded-up storefronts on Grand Avenue, in the Delmar Loop, and in The Grove.

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Carter, age 8 Why do you think that some people do not get treated the same because of what they look like? I don’t know why anyone treats people different because of how they look. That’s dumb.

Rylee, age 6  What color is your skin, and how would it feel if your skin was a different color? Brown. I don't know—I like being brown.

Frankie, age 10  How do the protests make you feel? It makes me feel good that white people are standing upf or Black people, with Black people, too. It just makes me feel good that we are getting a message sent.

Nolan, age 8  Have you used your voice to help? At the Black Lives Matter march, I stood up and gave a speech into the microphone. I said, “Let’s stop hurting Black people.”

Reese, age 7 How do the protests make you feel?I feel good that people are saying Black people should be treated the same.

Elle, age 4    Have you seen someone treat people differently because of how they look?How would that make you feel? No, that would make me sad because all skin and hair is beautiful.

Poppy, age 9 How do you think grown-ups can make change in St. Louis? Stand up for Black lives.

Jackson, age 2 How do you think grown-ups can make change in St. Louis so people with different skin tones aren’t treated differently when you grow up? Have friends with all kinds of colors of skin.

Parent Prompts

While families who participated in the photo essay were thankful to have the conversations, some of the children’s replies surprised parents. Here were three common reactions.

We don’t need a talk. The most popular feedback from caregivers was that these conversations were not happening, in some cases because they didn’t feel like they needed to be brought up.

My kids are aware of injustices. Some parents were surprised that their child knew more than they expected, but many were surprised when they gave heartfelt answers like wanting to be different because they didn’t feel good enough.

My kids really are listening. Although a lot of these parents are vocal about their passions, they might not recognize that kids are listening, even though they might be silent. By talking to them, it gives them a voice and a means to express themselves.

Five ways to talk to children about social justice

When discussing social justice at home, Zoll suggests letting children lead the conversation and that their views are valued. You can do this by validating their feelings and listening.

1. Ask open-ended questions.

For instance, “What color is your skin? How would it feel if your skin were a different color?”

2. Discuss current events in a general way.

You might ask, “Why are people protesting? What do you know about the protests?”

3. Make a connection to everyday life.

You could ask the child to share their own anecdotes: “Have you seen or heard of someone getting treated differently because of their skin color? Has someone who doesn’t look like you ever hurt your feelings?”

4. Listen, and follow up with emotional prompts.

“Do you think that is fair?” you might ask. “How do you think that makes the person feel? Have you stood up for someone when their feelings were hurt?”

5. Challenge kids to think of solutions.

Move the conversation forward by discussing possible next steps: “How do you think grownups can make changes so that when you grow up people with different skin tones will all be treated the same? Have you ever used your voice to help?”

Adelaide Lancaster, co-founder of We Stories and a Forward Through Ferguson board member, shares three tips for talking with children about racism today.

1. Don’t shield your children from the news or current events. Things in our nation are tense. Many things in the news are quite tragic and heartbreaking—and always have been. Children are capable of complex feelings and thoughts. You can help model for them appropriate empathy and concern as well as boundaries and self-care. But don’t write them off as too little to know. This is the world they are inheriting. The more they learn now, the less backfilling they need to do later.

2. Help them understand the role of bias in how stories are told—in the media, in textbooks, even in our families. Where possible, help introduce them to first-person accounts, and ask them to trust stories that people tell about themselves instead of the stories that people tell about them. Help them see the real loss that comes from living such starkly segregated lives and how often we are relying on distant storytelling to fill in details about our neighbors and fellow St. Louis residents.

3. Show them the systems of power. As you discuss current events, ask: Who gets to decide what and for whom? Who is believed and why? Who gets the benefit of the doubt and who doesn’t? These are concepts kids know and understand well. They are power-savvy, even at a young age. You can help them understand how they can use their own power for good and to make things more fair. Show them how that sometimes means giving some power to another person.