What are we as Minnesotans doing to combat racial injustice in our state?
Daunte, George and Philando – just some of the names that painfully highlight a broken policing system that unfairly targets people of color, too often leading to their death. Unfairness and bias pervade our schools, hospitals and housing policies, too.
At Minnesota Children’s Museum, we are especially disturbed about how racial injustice hurts kids. The pain and trauma that families endure because of racial injustice physically damage the brains of small children. The toxic stress brought on by that trauma impacts brain development and limits a child’s ability to learn and grow, causing lifelong harm.
The children hurt by injustice are our visitors. They are the children of our staff members and supporters. They ARE the museum.
Our community can do better. We must do better. We can do our part to break the cycle of suffering and injustice.
One positive step parents and caregivers can take is to talk to kids about race and racial inequities. To see real change, we need to be purposeful about raising children who are motivated to actively work against systemic racism.
This is not an easy job. For parents wanting support taking on this work, our upcoming virtual discussion is a great place to start. In this free event, two child development experts will provide practical information on how to get kids to think and talk about building a more just world. This is one small step, but together we can do this.