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    • Dr. Bentley Gibson, Our Founder
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Blog

Resources: How to Form Positive Attitudes about African-Americans

10/28/2022

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By 5 years old, children have a very complex awareness of which groups society portrays positively vs. negatively. Even if we do not say a word to them about race, they pick up cues from TV, toys, books, parents subtle messages,etc. that inform them of the social status of racial group. It is crucial that parents and educators pay specific attention to groups that are negatively stereotypes (i.e. African-Americans) and provide children with MANY positive examples of that group. We must realize its better to begin talking to them about race as early in development as possible, in order to foster healthy/positive attitudes before society tells them some groups are better than others.

 ACTIVITIES
 Appropriate and Encouraged for Children as early as 12-months
  • Provide your child with a LARGE amount of products that have positive characters of color. See the Books, Toys, and Media  list below of products that foster positive attitudes about African-Americans. 
  • Highlight their beautiful skin of color on a regular basis– “You look so beautiful/handsome today! Your beautiful, brown skin is so amazing!”
  • Highlight others beautiful skin of color on a regular basis- “Look at that pretty little girl over there. Her skin is beautifully brown just like yours ” or "Her skin is beautifully brown just like our friend Pam!"
  • Pay close attention to what children naturally gravitate towards. Do they constantly pick up toys, books, clothing with White characters?  Allow them to freely respond to questions about why they choose some products over others. See if their answers indicate race and/or skin color. If so, contact Dr. Bentley L. Gibson (bgibson@thebiasadjuster.com) for solutions to your specific child’s attitudes. 
  • DO NOT BUY TOO MANY BOOKS OR PRODUCTS THAT TEACH ABOUT RACISM UNTIL THE CHILD IS OLDER (10+). The early childhood should mainly focus showing groups that society negatively stereotypes in a positive fashion.  Messages such as "you are different, people may not like you, but you are still beautiful" are too loaded for young children.  These are contradicting statements, that are more appropriate for older children. These types of statements may actually increase prejudice/bias.
  • Observe your child's classrooms and how diverse the class is (books, classroom decorations, student and faculty body, etc.) are. Suggest diversity training for the institutions your child is a part of. The Bias Adjuster does observations and trainings.
  • Find local activities (Mom groups, sports programs, music and arts programs) where over 50% of the participants are African-American. Allow your child to regularly participate in these types of programs and have positive interactions.

For more strategies (and customized solutions for your specific case) OR to have your child's racial attitudes professionally assessed, please contact Dr. Bentley L. Gibson at- bgibson@thebiasadjuster.com

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Infancy – 2 years old
Books
Early Childhood
 2-7 years old
Books/ Toys/ Shows
1) Lola’s Library- Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw
 
2) Please Baby Please - Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
 
3) Whose Knees are These - Jabari Asim
 
4) Whose Toes are Those - Jabari ASim
 
6) I Can Do It too - Karen Baicker
 
7) You Can Do It Too - Karen Baicker
 
8) Baby Dance - Ann Taylor
 
9) Girl of Mine - Jabari Asim
 
10) Boy of Mine - Jabari Asim
 
11) Peekabo Morning - Rachel Isadora
 
12) Full, Full, Full of Love - Trish Cooke
 
13) Little Bill Series - Catherine Lucas
 
14) Pretty Brown Face - Andrea Davis Pickney
 
15) Baby Says - John Steptoe
 
16) Ready, Steady, Its Dress-up Time- Kerry Timewell

​
Middle Childhood - 7-11 years old
Books/ Comics
Books

1) If I Ran For President – Catherine Stier
 
2) Dancing in the Wings - Debbie Allen
 
3) Five Brilliant Scientists – Linda Jones
 
4) Abiyoyo-  Pete Seeger’s Storysong
 
5) Marvel Comic - Moon Girl
 
6) Fly Eagle, Fly: An African Tale - Christopher Gregorowski
 
7) BAP: The Official Guide to the Black American Princess - Kalyn Johnson
 
8) What Color is My World - The Lost History of African American Inventors- Kareem Abdul Jabbar & Raymon Obstfeld
 
9) Black Firsts: 4000 Groundbreaking & Pioneering Historical Events - Jessie C. Smith
 
10) DC Comicbook- BatWing - The Batman of Africa
 
11) DC Comicbook- Firestorm - The Nuclear Man
 
12) Comicbook- Black Panther
 
13) Comicbook - Static Shock
 
14) Comicbook - Miles Morales - Black Spiderman

​
Books
1) Emis Curly Coily Hair - Tina Olajide
 
2) I'm a Pretty Little Black Girl - Betty Bynum
 
3) Whose Knees are These - Jabari Asim
 
4) Bright Eyes and Brown Skin – Cheryl Willis Hudson
 
5) The Snowy Day - Ezra Jack Keats

6) Jaden Touissant, The Great (book series) – Marti Dumas
 
7) Genesis and The Fearless Five - Siphriah Davidson
 
8) Julian Dream Doctor - Ann Cameron
 
TOYS:
1) NATURALLY PERFECT DOLLS -
2) UZIRI KID KIDZ
BENJAMIN BANNEKER ACTION FIGURE
3) HIA TOYS 
FOOTBALL MATCH SET WITH BLACK CHARACTER-
4) HIA TOYS BLACK BEAUTY DOLLS/GAMES

 
CHILDREN'S SHOWS 
​
YOUTUBE- AFRICAN Children's show

Bino and Fino
Bouba and Zaza


​
Adolescence - 12 years and up
Books/TV
Books
1) Legacies : A Guide for Young Women in Planning Their Future by Constance Gipson and Hazel Mahone
 
2) Health First: : A Guide for Young Women in Planning Their Future by  Eleanor Hinton Holt and Hilary Beard
 
3) We Could Be Brothers - Derrick Barnes
 
4) Young Gifted and Black - Theresa Perry, Claude Steel and Asa Hillard
 
5) Amber and the Hidden City-Milton Davis
 
6) Letters to a Young Brother - Hill Harper
 
7) Asleep - Wendy Raven McNair
 
8) Before the Mayflower: A Historty of the Negro in America - Lerone Bennett Jr.
 
FILMS
1) Hidden Colors Documentary Series
2) Hidden Figures
3) The Great Debaters
4) Finding Forrester
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