Our beautiful city and spots throughout the suburbs damaged and looted, the incredible pain of our fellow residents from generations of inequity just because of the color of their skin boiling over. It hurts. It’s scary. And it is long past time to fix the festering racism plaguing our country and our own communities.
The time for living in our own little privileged bubbles needs to be over if we want to make this a world where all of our kids are valued, loved and supported.
We have all put a lot of hope in the children we are raising today to make a difference; many of us have taught our kids to embrace others no matter their race or sexual orientation, and to give them space to speak up when they see inequity. Unfortunately, we cannot wait to act until these wonderful children become old enough to make needed change.
It’s on us to start.
As parents, we need to speak up when we see inequity —and we see small examples all of the time whether we attach a name to it or not.
We need to demand change in our governments, starting with going to the polls this fall to elect leaders who commit to change and then holding them accountable to standards we value in our lives.
We need to look at our schools to strip away inequity in order to give children who’ve never known what true equity looks like very real opportunities to thrive and succeed.
We need to look at our health care system and ask why people of color fall victim to disease at higher percentages than their white counterparts, then we need to demand those in power fix it.
We need leaders to root out the bad cops immediately and drive them off the force, because those bad ones taint all of the really great ones who dedicate their lives to making us all safe.
Real change will not happen overnight, but it must happen.
At Chicago Parent, we plan to help. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll begin creating resources for you to use in your own home. You’ll also hear from parents of color and be able to ask questions and get answers without judgment.
We value the trust you put in us to help guide you as you raise your amazing children. Please tell us what would help you and your fellow parents. We’re listening. You can reach me at tamara@chicagoparent.com and join us on social media and at ChicagoParent.com.
This article also appeared in Chicago Parent’s June 2020 magazine. Read the rest of the issue here.
