As a white settler parent, I believe that it?s my responsibility to talk to my daughter about race and colonialism, and I try to take every opportunity I get. She has marched with me at rallies in support of Indigenous land rights, especially the Wet?suwet?en in BC and the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation in northern Ontario. We?ve walked together with thousands of people to honour the children who died in residential schools and read powerful books about the subject, like Shi-shi-et-ko by Nicola Campbell and Stolen Words by Melanie Florence.
But these conversations and actions are not always easy. I sometimes find myself stumbling through them, questioning myself and wondering if I?m doing enough, saying enough or telling my kid too much. But more and more as my daughter gets older?she is six now?I find that she is interested and asking questions. She is often ready to spot racism and injustice, she is beginning to know what colonialism means, and she asks about those unkind schools that children were forced to go to. As I was feeling uncertain about whether I should talk to my daughter about the Queen?s death?after all, she still barely knows that the Queen existed at all?I came across a social media post by Lindsay Herriot, a mother of three young children and a member of the facebook group Moms Against Racism.
Photo: Moms Against Racism on Facebook
Herriot, a white parent, often posts glimpses of her family?s anti-racist conversations on the group, like this one sh...