Raising Multiracial Children: Tools for Nurturing Identity in a Racialized World

by Farzana Nayani, Paul Spickard (Foreword by), Velina Hasu Houston (Afterword)

Overview

The essential guide to parenting multiracial and multiethnic children of all ages and learning to support and celebrate their multiracial identities

In a world where people are more likely to proclaim color-blindness than talk openly about race, how can we truly value, support, and celebrate our kids' identities? How can we assess our own sense of Racial Dialogue Readiness and develop a deeper understanding of the issues facing multiracial children today?

Raising Multiracial Children gives caregivers the tools for exploring race with their children, offering practical guidance on how to initiate conversations; consciously foster racial identity development; discuss issues like microaggressions, intersectionality, and privilege; and intentionally cultivate a sense of belonging. It provides an overview of key issues and current topics relevant to raising multiracial children and offers strategies and developmentally appropriate milestones from infancy through adulthood. The book ends with resources and references for further learning and exploration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623174491
Publisher:	North Atlantic Books
Publication date:	03/20/2020
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	342,311
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Farzana Nayani is a passionate advocate and educator regarding the understanding of culture and race within organizations, schools, and the community. She holds a master's degree in communications and management from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and the esteemed East-West Center, as well as a bachelor of education and a bachelor of arts in psychology and English from the University of British Columbia. As a certified teacher, former classroom educator, and a multiethnic parent of multiracial children, Nayani has focused on bridging understanding across cultural differences throughout her entire career and personal life.

In her current work as a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant and intercultural trainer, Nayani has conducted research, workshops, and curriculum design on cross-cultural topics for two decades. Her work has appeared in Forbes, DiversityInc, LA Parent, the Smithsonian and NPR. She is on the advisory board of Multiracial Americans of Southern California, is a part of the CAUSE Leadership Network, has advised for the National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP), and is coaching faculty for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coaching Center at The Forum on Workplace Inclusion.

Table of Contents

Foreword Paul Spickard xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction: The Case for Exploring Race with Our Children 1

1 Who Are Multiracial Individuals? 15

2 Adult Intercultural Development and Racial Dialogue Readiness 29

3 Racial Rigidity, Fluidity, and Resilience 53

4 Factors Impacting Racial Identity Choice and Assignment 69

5 Common and Contemporary Issues 93

6 Teaching Racial/Multiracial Identity in the Classroom 119

7 From College to Career 141

8 Action, Advocacy, and Community-Building 167

9 Recommended Resources 183

A Glossary 199

B Social Justice Standards: Grade-Level Outcomes 213

C Lesson Plans 223

Afterword Velina Hasu Houston 235

Notes 241

Index 251

About the Author 267

Editorial Reviews

An indispensable study that illustrates the importance of speaking with children on race so that they can be prepared to deal with the reality of it throughout their lives. It is a vital book for parents, caregivers, and educators committed to this kind of work. Bravo!”
—Rudy P. Guevarra Jr., author of Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego

“Far too often, race is examined and discussed along a Black and White binary, which leaves multiracial children feeling as though they do not have a place at the table. In order to strive for racial inclusion and justice, our conversations must include the nuances of multiracial identity."
—Liz Kleinrock, educator and founder of Teach and Transform
 
“Raising Multiracial Children provides exercises, questions, an intersectional analysis, curricula, and age-appropriate guidelines for nurturing and supporting the next generation of multiracial people and their allies.”
—Paul Kivel, educator, activist, and author of Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice 
 
“My wife is Indian, born in New Delhi, and I am African American, born in the American South. Our three children—the ‘Three Little Blindians’—are growing up in Los Angeles with a vastly different experience than either of us had. On my wife’s side of the family tree, our children can trace their roots back to the founding of New Delhi. On my side, we’re aware of a few proud generations, and we’ve also had to find joy in discovering our African roots together. We’ve done our best to teach them that they are not ‘half’ anything.  Rather, they have two rich ancestries that they can call on to ground them in their journey through life. As we have experienced in our own Black and Indian family, raising multiracial children is such a critical topic. Farzana isolates invaluable tools to help give any child a more comprehensive sense of self-identity.”
—Jason George, actor from Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, on raising children with his wife, writer and educator Vandana Khanna

“I can’t imagine a person more qualified to write about multiracial and multicultural children than Farzana Nayani. She presents excellent advice to parents, teachers, and cross-cultural trainers concerning the challenges and opportunities faced by multiracial children.  She brings a rich background to this task based on years of careful study, knowledge learned from leading workshops, and her own experiences as a spouse and mother.”
—Richard W. Brislin, professor emeritus, University of Hawaìi

From the Publisher

05/01/2020

Parent, teacher educator, and community activist Nayani wrote her first book to address the needs of those parenting children who identify as more than one race. The author focuses on creating a sense of belonging while encouraging multicultural identity development. Nayani begins by giving readers a foundational understanding of race, breaking down the history behind our views on the topic. She defines orientations around race including denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, adaptation and the pitfalls and growth opportunities in each. Assessing comfort level, finding comfort in uncomfortable situations, being vulnerable, and addressing strong emotions are steps in the preparation process before discussing these issues with children. She advocates a newer model, Conscious Cultivation of Identity, which incorporates contact, communication, consciousness, connection, and community. This text also addresses topics such as microaggressions, intersectionality, and privilege. VERDICT Teachers, day-care workers, parents, and counselors may find grains of wisdom in not only exploring race with children but in fostering personal growth in themselves.

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