I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World

I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World

by Marguerite Wright
I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World

I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World

by Marguerite Wright

Paperback(Reprint)

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Overview

This superb, rational, and highly readable volume answers a deeplyfelt need. Parents and educators alike have long struggled tounderstand what meanings race might have for the very young, andfor ways to insure that every child grows up with a healthy senseof self. Marguerite Wright handles sensitive issues with consummateclarity, practicality, and hope. Here we have an indispensableguide that will doubtless prove a classic.
—Edward Zigler, sterling professor of psychology and director,Yale Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy

A child's concept of race is quite different from that of an adult.Young children perceive skin color as magical—even changeable—andunlike adults, are incapable of understanding adult predjudicessurrounding race and racism. Just as children learn to walk andtalk, they likewise come to understand race in a series ofpredictable stages.

Based on Marguerite A. Wright's research and clinical experience,I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla teaches us that the color-blindnessof early childhood can, and must, be taken advantage of in order toguide the positive development of a child's self-esteem.

Wright answers some fundamental questions about children and raceincluding:
* What do children know and understand about the color of theirskin?
* When do children understand the concept of race?
* Are there warning signs that a child is being adversely affectedby racial prejudice?
* How can adults avoid instilling in children their own negativeperceptions and prejudices?
* What can parents do to prepare their children to overcome theracism they are likely to encounter?
* How can schools lessen the impact of racism?
With wisdom and compassion, I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla spellsout how to educate black and biracial children about race, whilepreserving their innate resilience and optimism—the birthright ofall children.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780787952341
Publisher: Wiley
Publication date: 05/22/2000
Edition description: Reprint
Pages: 304
Sales rank: 701,886
Product dimensions: 5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

MARGUERITE WRIGHT is the senior clinical and research psychologist for the Center for the Vulnerable Child at Children's Hospital in Oakland, California. Wright lives with her husband and four children in Berkeley, California.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

Part One: That Magical Place: Race Awareness in the Preschool Years 11

1 Chocolate and Vanilla: How Preschoolers See Color and Race 13

2 How Preschoolers Begin to Learn Racial Attitudes 36

3 When to Be Concerned That Race Is a Problem for Preschoolers 59

4 Raising the Racially Healthy Preschooler 73

Part Two: The Waning of Racial Innocence: The Early School Years 91

5 Shades of Brown and Black: How Early Grade-Schoolers See Color and Race 93

6 Black Children’s Self-Esteem: The Real Deal 123

7 How School Influences Children’s Awareness of Color and Race 147

Part Three: Reality Bites: Race Awareness in Middle Childhood and Adolescence 173

8 Fading to Black and White: How Children in the Middle Years See Race 175

9 How School Influences Older Children’s Ideas About Race 197

10 Preparing for Adolescence: The Lines Are Drawn 218

11 A Healthy High School Experience: You Can Make a Difference 239

Epilogue 261

Appendix: Stages of Race Awareness 265

Notes 269

About the Author 281

Index 283

What People are Saying About This

Valerie Rivers

I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla should be required reading for teachers who want to foster a positive atmosphere of racial relations for their students, teachers, and administrators.
—(Valerie Rivers, mentor and kindergarten teacher, Palmetto Elementary School, Fontana, CA)

Joe Morris

This is simply the best book I've ever read on raising or teaching minority children. It's short . . . filled with memorable observations and useful advice.
—(Joe Morris, professor and director, School of Psychology, California State University, Northridge)

Pedro Noguera

Finally, a practical and intelligent discussion of a complex issue that is so frequently misunderstood. All those who want to raise healthy children who have a positive sense of themselves can gain valuable lessons from this book.
—(Pedro Noguera, professor of education, University of California, Berkeley)

Tony Paap

In her book, Marguarite Wright uses a wealth of examples from her work with children and families and offers a creative array of suggestions and strategies for raising health black and biracial children. This book is a much-needed guide for rearing children in a society that is all too conscious about race.
—(Tony Paap, president and CEO, Children's Hospital Oakland)

Edward Zigler

This superb, rational, and highly readable volume answers a deeply felt need. Parents and educators alike have long struggled to understand what meanings race might have for the very young, and for ways to insure that every child grows up with a healthy sense of self. Marguerite Wright handles sensitive issues with consummate clarity, practicality, and hope. Here we have an indispensable guide that will doubtless prove a classic.
—(Edward Zigler, sterling professor of psychology and director, Yale Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy)

Bob Whitlow

Just as Jean Piaget's work is a good window into the stages of cognitive development, what Dr. Wright has to say in I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla is an equally important tool for understanding how the stages of race awareness develop in children.
—(Bob Whitlow, principal, Aurora School, Oakland, CA)

Belva Davis

As I read Dr. Wright's book, I was reminded of what it's like to peel an onion. Layer after layer, the book uncovers the complex issues surrounding race and children. With wisdom and compassion, she explains how black and biracial children perceive color and race. But, most importantly, she gives us guidelines we need to raise healthy and happy children in our race conscious world. An excellent primer for parents, teachers, counselors, and anyone who is concerned with the future of our children.
—(Belva Davis, reporter, KRON-TV, San Francisco)

Clarence E. Page

Here, at last, is an intelligent, well-researched and provocative, yet also comforting and reassuring book of advice. For parents who are trying to raise emotionally healthy children in a racially polarized world, Marguerite Wright has performed a timely and tremendous public service. —(Clarence E. Page, syndicated columnist, The Chicago Tribune)

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