As a seven year old, my eldest energetically campaigned for a Lt. Governor candidate in our home state. When asked by a reporter why she was participating in political rallies and street corner campaign events, she said, “I want the world to be fairer and Bob [the candidate] is all about fairness!” Holding signs and distributing leaflets gave her a sense of being part of the change she wanted to see in her community.
We celebrate Juneteenth 2025 at a time when ‘fairness’ and ‘justice’ are politically contested concepts. The president recently sent National Guard troops to quell mostly peaceful protests over new immigration enforcement policies. Many companies are afraid to advertise their support for LGBTQIA+ rights. Schools and businesses are dismantling diversity programs. Being ‘fair’ takes a backseat to declarations of social and moral superiority by certain groups.
As parents and caregivers, how, then, do we commemorate the freeing of enslaved African Americans more than 160 years ago in any meaningful way when so many people are currently being treated unfairly? One way is to talk with children about practices of resilience and resistance that promote justice for all.
Tough times mean kids need skills that help them bounce back when they experience adversity. They need to know that others will stand with them and help them to resist unfair characterizations and treatment. Learning about how African Americans resolved to be strong and push back against enslavement provides models for interpreting and managing present-day situations.
Visit the website of the National Museum of African American History and Culture to read about how those who were enslaved used music and cooking to maintain hope and resist forced assimilation. Plan a menu of red foods in solidarity with those who have suffered oppression in the past and who are suffering now. Listen to freedom songs together and sing along with the choruses. Or create a family trivia game using facts gleaned from the site and play one or more rounds.
Suggest to children that knowledge is power. Encourage them to research diverse forms of oppression and unfairness. Suggest that they begin with their own experiences. Ask: When have you been treated unfairly? When have you witnessed others being treated unfairly? When have you acted unfairly toward others? Then look for accounts of injustice in the news and/or historically. The PBS Kids website has links to resources sorted by age group suitability. Learning for Justice has a collection of short texts that can be filtered by type and age range.
Engage in an explicit act of resistance. Invite children to identify specific ways that persons who experience oppression resist those who treat them unfairly. Then choose one of those ways to protest an injustice in your community. For example, you might join a march for justice, write letters to political leaders, create and post a sign supporting equal rights, write a protest song, or organize a community potluck that explicitly states that “all are welcome here.”
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