Supporting Children's Healthy Ethnic-Racial Identities in the Context of Banned Books: Perspectives From Mental Health Professionals

Abstract

For children of color, ethnic-racial socialization typically encourages cultural/racial pride and cultivates the ability to recognize and cope with bias against their ethnic-racial group. In contrast, White parents often provide color-blind messages, which minimize the reality of continued racism in U.S. society and overlook overwhelming evidence of White children's biased attitudes. Many mental health professionals recommend that parents and educators instead provide explicit anti-racist messages to foster healthier and more realistic White ethnic-racial identities. Children's books have often been used in interventions attempting to decrease prejudice against youths of color or recent immigrants. Unfortunately, recently expanded book banning attempts often target books which address race, ethnicity, and prejudice. The authors of one challenged book about racism, Something Happened in Our Town, discuss strategies to challenge bans, encourage healthy ethnic-racial socialization, promote value-in-diversity messages, and support children in confronting prejudice.