Raising Anti-Racist Kids and Fighting Anti-Asian Hate
Resources from Kids Listen member shows for talking to your kids about anti-Asian racism, providing representation, and fostering bold allyship.
The racist language, outright bigotry, and hate crimes over the past year+plus towards the Asian members of our global community, and in the United States are completely unacceptable. All of the members of Kids Listen stand with our Asian creators, families, friends, listeners, and allies to denounce this evil.
Here are four great podcast episodes for you to watch and listen to from four great shows. These episodes are for your caregiving toolkit- whether you’re a parent, grandparent, another relative, or caregiver, to move the needle and help our youngest humans grow up in a more loving world.
Peace Out Podcast
Peace Out creator Chanel Tsang put together this beautiful special video episode of her soothing podcast to help children calm down and relax by guiding them through visualization and breathing exercises. Perfect for parents or teachers who want to teach mindfulness and self-regulation. Chanel gets personal about her own background in this video and talks about anti-racism. The episode ends with her guiding a Loving Kindness Meditation for children to cultivate compassion for themselves and for others.
“Let’s work as a team to end racism! If you see or hear something you know is wrong, you can say something or talk to a grown up that you trust if you feel confused, angry, or scared.” — Chanel Tsang
Story Seeds Podcast
Here’s a wonderful episode of Literary Safari’s Story Seeds podcast for families! This episode brings together seven-year-old Cici and Aram Kim, (author and illustrator of Bank Street’s Best Children’s Book of 2018 No Kimchi for Me). Both call Queens, NYC home and it is here that they meet and collaborate to grow Cici’s story seed about a new neighborhood superhero: Electric Kitty! Follow along as they collaborate to create a story about a young Korean-American girl named Sally who spends her days at her Grandpa’s Queens deli where she discovers that their deli cat is actually a superhero who is about to rescue their community from a major blackout.
This podcast has an amazing companion book and bonus activities, and everything about it is just lovely. This is not your typical “boring” workbook. Inside you’ll find QR codes that connect directly to each episode of Story Seeds. Use these codes to jumpstart listening or re-listening and to dive into over 80 pages of reading, art-making, cooking, journaling, and STEAM activities.
Girl Tales: Small Big Things: A Story About Helen Zia
A historical fiction story by Nina Ki about advocating for yourself and for the people in your community even in the face of prejudice and racism. Listen and learn about Chinese-American activist, author, and journalist Helen Zia.
The Ten News
Following the tragic events that took place in Atlanta that resulted in eight people losing their lives, six of whom were of Asian descent, they take a look at the importance of allyship and learn how everyone can be an ally to someone.
The Ten News from Small But Mighty Media publishes twice weekly and explores topics kids care about including current events, sports, science, gaming, pop culture, entertainment, and more. Episodes highlight stories from kids who are driving positive change around the world — from 15-year-old LGBTQ activist Ewan Barker Plummer to teen activist and founder of Earth Uprising, Alexandria Villasenor — and include interviews with experts as diverse as James Carville, American political consultant, and Caron Butler, former NBA player. From the Black Lives Matter Movement to the impact of COVID-19 on the climate, “The Ten News” breaks down complex topics and makes them accessible to kids.
Growing This Resource
We intend to grow our internal and external resources to combat racism over time, so please keep an eye on this space.
Here are some more resources to support us in listening, learning, and teaching gathered and shared by Chanel Tsang of Peace Out Podcast:
- Resources: How to Talk to Kids About Anti-Asian Violence https://www.parents.com/kids/responsi...
- Show Up: Your Guide to Bystander Intervention https://www.ihollaback.org/app/upload
- I’m Helping My Korean-American Daughter Embrace Her Identity to Counter Racism https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/well/family/Talking-to-children-anti-Asian-bias.html?smid=tw-share
- Stop AAPI Hate (report racist incidents in the US, resources, activism) https://stopaapihate.org/
- Fight COVID racism (report racist incidents in Canada, resources, activism) https://www.covidracism.ca/about
Thank you to Sandhya Nankani of Literary Safari for adding these recommendations:
- All of Grace Lin’s podcasts — Kids Ask Authors, Book Friends Forever, and KidLit Women Podcast https://gracelin.com/podcasts/
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yeng (a graphic novel)
- American as Paneer Pie by Supriya Kelkar (middle-grade novel)
- The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi (picture book)
- A Different Pond by Bao Phi (picture book)
- And lots more here — https://socialjusticebooks.org/reviews/genres/asian-american/
