Conversations about race are difficult. It?s a topic that?s so difficult, and filled with pain, division and complexity that many adults do everything they can to avoid them. Many white parents feel that the topic of race is one that can wait until their kids are teenagers?if it?s necessary at all. They?d like to prolong the time of innocence for their kids, free of racial strife and division. Some even hope that by avoiding the topic altogether, their kids will be able to grow up in a race-free world.  
For most parents of colour, however, it?s not an option to postpone the discussion?they need to prepare their kids for a world that often discriminates against them regardless of their age. Race is an issue in our schools, at our parks, at our sleepovers. Your kids are learning about race right now. They are learning from their television and movies, from the internet, from their teachers, and from their peers. With the amount of ignorance and racial hatred in this world, this is not an education that you want to leave to chance. I?ve been writing and speaking on issues of race for years and as headlines about police brutality, white supremacy and immigration battles are on the rise, I regularly hear from white parents (of white children and children of colour) who realize they need to talk to their kids about race, but they aren?t sure how to start.
If you?re nervous about talking to your kids about race, here are some pointers:
Your kids are not ?colour-blind?

A lot o...