TEACHING OUR KIDS ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE

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10/17/2022 0 Comments

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OCTOBER=E2=80=99S FOCUS: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ACTIVISM

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Teaching our Kids about social Justic= e

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=E2=80=8B=E2=80=8BOur recent conversation with Dawn Ruzich on the pod= cast we talked about the importance of teaching our kids about diversity, b= ias and social justice. Dawn is the Vice President, Research & Developm= ent at Lawndale Christian Legal C= enter.  Her work focuses on business development to help LCL= C achieve its goals.  In our conversation, she shared her passion for = serving in this role to support the community and working contributing to p= ositive outcomes of this organization. =E2=80=8BNorth Lawndale on Chicago=E2=80=99s West Side is a historic commun= ity. It=E2=80=99s been at the forefront of civil rights, race relations and= injustice. And it=E2=80=99s where Martin Luther King Jr. lived when he cam= e to Chicago in 1966 to protest discriminatory housing practices.
=E2=80=8BLawndale Christian Legal Center provides holistic, community-based= legal services to clients ages 24 and younger who reside in North Lawndale= . LCLC=E2=80=99s holistic team consists of attorneys, case managers, and st= reet outreach workers, striving together to provide legal representation, s= ocial assessments, and comprehensive treatment plans. LCLC works with each = youth until they are stable and free from the justice system.
=E2=80=8BSince it opened in 2010, LCLC has primarily served African America= n males. Just over half of its cases have been in juvenile court, and all o= f its services are provided free of charge. Outcomes from 2020 include: 89 = percent of participants were not rearrested on a new case or technical viol= ation; 73 percent of school-age clients were enrolled in school or a GED pr= ogram; and 69 percent of non-school-age clients obtained employment or were= enrolled in a vocational training program. 
 
During our conversation we talked about raising our kids to be aware = of diversity, bias and social justice.  Here are four ways of bringing= discussions about bias and diversity into conversations with your school-a= ged kids.
  1. Use Books! There=E2=80=99s a wealth of children\’s boo= ks that can be read aloud and independently to approach the topic of bias, = diversity, and social justice. We talked about The Crossover, Th= e Watsons Go To Birmingham — 1963, and The Hate You Give, our October book club s= election.  Find more recommendations here.
  2. Use the news and current events: Find topics and = news stories that bring forth these themes, discuss them as ar family. Use = relevant news stories that highlight bias or injustice =E2=80=93 share your= perspectives to help inform them and support them with any questions they = might have. These topics often surface in the classroom and these conversat= ions can help your child feel confident and comfortable sharing their thoug= hts with others outside of your home.
  3. Lead by example about anti-bias: Much of the teas= ing, name-calling, and bullying is identity-based, it=E2=80=99s helpful for= you to set aside a time every week for an explicit lesson on this topic wi= th your kids. Social and emotional skill development lessons are the founda= tion at home and parents can transition the discussion to lessons on identi= ty, differences, bias, and how bias and bullying.
  4. Give familiar examples: Take advantage of childre= n=E2=80=99s interest in sports, TV shows or video games, and use them as op= portunities to explore diversity, bias, and social justice.
Our hope is that by understanding how embedded racism is in syst= ems and policies today exists =E2=80=93 that one day we can move toward cha= nge.
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