Parenting 4 Social Justice: Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Conversations & Action with Kids

by Angela Berkfield, Leila Raven, Abigail Healey, Jaimie Lynn Kessell, Rowan Parker

Overview

In 2015, social justice educator and activist Angela Berkfield held her first Parenting for Social Justice workshop. Now it is time to share those tools and inspiration. This book discusses race, class, gender, disability, healing justice, and collective liberation, initiating age-appropriate and engaging conversations with kids about social justice issues. Included are ideas for taking action as families, from making protest signs and attending a local march, to trying healing meditations and consciously connecting with people from different backgrounds. Resources for further learning and activities that readers can engage in on their own or as part of a group.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781950584109
Publisher:	Green Writers Press
Publication date:	06/15/2021
Pages:	378
Sales rank:	743,194
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Angela Berkfield, is a parent of two boys who have a lot of privilege. She is raising them to be conscious of what that means, and has aimed to center social justice in her parenting from day one. Angela has taught in a variety of settings over the past decade and is a co-founder of the Root Social Justice Center, ACT for Social Justice, and Equity Solutions.

Chrissy Colón Bradt is an educator and mom to two young, biracial, white-presenting children. As an Afro-Latina in a biracial marriage, Chrissy is keenly aware of her family's intersecting identities and privilege. She strives to support her son in developing a positive racial and ethnic identity. Chrissy serves as an educator and Director of Equity and Inclusion at an independent school, and is on the board of The Courage of Care Coalition and the Root Social Justice Center.

Rowan Parker has worked in early childhood education and early childhood development for over a decade. He is white and transgender; he neurodiverse and has a chronic pain condition. Rowan currently works in Early Intervention as a Developmental Specialist, assessing young children for therapeutic needs, but his favorite part of the job is helping parents learn to understand and work with their children. He continues his work with children as a foster parent with his partner.

Jaimie Lynn Kessel has spent her entire life dealing with the consequences of being born into generational poverty. Jaimie is raising her four children with the knowledge necessary not only to propel themselves out of poverty but to help create a world in which all people have access to what they need, not just to survive, but to thrive.

Leila Raven is an Afro-Caribbean descended, mixed-race queer mama parenting using a consent-based, non-hierarchical approach. From 2015 to 2018, she was the director of DC-based grassroots organization Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS), where she worked to create community-based strategies to interrupt patriarchal violence and state violence in public spaces. Leila sees the family as an important site of resistance against oppression and seeks to uplift alternatives to the nuclear family structure to promote collective responsibility for the safety and well-being of whole communities.

Abigail Healey is the mother of two children, one of whom is limb-different and Hard of Hearing, and both of whom are creative, wild and kind. She currently works with elders, providing activities and gardening at a residential care facility. She is constantly seeking ways to engage her children in critical thinking, big questions, justice, and change-making.

Brittney Nicole Washington is a Southern Queer Black Artist + Mama + Art Therapist + Doula + Strategist + Troublemaker. As an artist, Brittney uses painting, illustration, and filmmaking to uplift BIPOC experiences and perspectives in media. As a racial justice strategist and cultural organizer, Brittney facilitates nationwide to illuminate the historical events that shape our current experiences of racialized poverty, trauma, and disconnection. She curates arts-based spaces where folks can be brave, vulnerable, and imaginative about how to bend our world toward justice together. She also serves as a visual arts producer for various justice groups.

Table of Contents

Foreword Autumn Brown ix

Foreword Chris Crass xii

A Note about Language and Content xv

Introduction Angela Berkfield

How I came to write this book 3

What this book is about 6

Who this book is for 12

About the co-authors 12

How this book is structured 14

How you can use this book 16

Take care of your heart and body 17

Healing justice practice 19

Chapter 1 Social Justice (In Brief) Angela Berkfield

Quotes 21

What is Social Justice? 22

Privilege and oppression 33

Distinction between diversity and social justice 40

A note on culture 41

What can I do? 44

Healing justice practice 47

Community of practice questions 47

Chapter 2 Parenting for Social Justice Angela Berkfield

Quotes 49

What is Parenting for Social Justice? 50

How do we parent for social justice? 58

Healing justice practice 70

Community of practice discussion questions 70

Chapter 3 Parenting for Racial Justice Chrissy Colón Bradt Angela Berkfield

Poem and Quotes 73

Our stories 76

The stories we are told are the stories we tell 81

Talking with kids 96

Reading/listening/watching together 114

Taking action 116

Healing justice practice 120

Community of practice discussion questions 123

Chapter 4 Parenting for Economic Justice Jaimie Lynn Kessell Angela Berkfield

Quotes 125

Our stories 126

The stories we are told are the stories we tell 136

Talking with kids 157

Reading/listening/watching together 167

Taking action 171

Healing justice practice 174

Community of practice discussion questions 175

Chapter 5 Parenting for Disability Justice Rowan Parker Abigail Healey

Quotes 177

Our stories 179

What is disability justice? 187

The stories we are told are the stories we tell 188

Talking with kids 194

Reading/listening/watching together 206

Taking action 208

Healing justice practice 211

Community of practice discussion questions 212

Chapter 6 Parenting for Gender Justice Leila Raven

Quotes 213

Story 215

The stories we are told are the stories we tell 222

Talking with kids 235

Reading/listening/watching together 250

Taking action 253

Healing justice practice 256

Community of practice discussion questions 256

Chapter 7 Parenting For Collective Liberation Angela Berkfield

Quotes 257

Story 259

Collective liberation, intersectionality, and emergent strategy 263

Talking with kids 277

Reading/listening/watching together 286

Taking action 287

Healing justice practice 290

Community of practice discussion questions 290

Chapter 8 Looking Back and Looking Forward Angela Berkfield

Quotes 291

Taking time to reflect 292

You've got this, and we've got each other 295

Community of practice discussion questions 295

Healing justice practice 296

Appendix A Social Justice Frameworks 297

Appendix B Definitions 304

Resources 318

Additional Resources 335

(See supplemental material and Appendices C-J on our website.)

Social Justice Book for Kids 336

Acknowledgements 354

Author Bios and Family Photos 356