Solidarity with Asian-American communities

As many of you may know, there has been an increasing number of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans particularly in the last month. Most recently, we witnessed a horrific mass-shooting in Atlanta, murdering six Asian-American women. This incident has put renewed pressure on all of us to examine our biases and be conscious of the mounting vulnerability of Asian-American communities. The Trails School condemns these hostile acts and assures our families that we are committed to maintaining a non-biased environment.

Over this past year, we have researched and learned how implicit biases could manifest in early childhood settings and offering ways for you to discuss race with your children. Although these conversations may feel uncomfortable, it is crucial to open up that line of communication while your child’s mind is still so malleable and they are eager to explore and absorb this information with you. Below are a few articles we have written about having race discussions with your children and we hope they can assist your family in discussing these recent hate crimes.

Examples of discriminatory literature

In light of these events, it is essential that we continue to re-examine the environment and literature that we provide to our communities and children. It can be challenging to identify how Asian discrimination presents itself in children’s literature, especially with books parents have grown up reading. Discriminatory literature can be broadly defined as literature that engages with stereotypes instead of stories, and it presents Asian people as a homogenous, monolithic group. An example of this type of children’s literature is many of Dr. Seuss’s books. Prior to his career as a children’s author, Dr. Seuss’s early works were political cartoons filled with racist language and depictions, and he continued to incorporate this racist rhetoric in his children’s books. While many of these books have been in our libraries for generations, studies have shown that these representations are harmful to a child’s identity in early childhood settings, and it is vital that we carefully pick which books we offer to our children. 

Examples of positive Asian representation

Let’s Read…

Eyes that Kiss in the Corner by Matthew A. Cherry

 This children’s book is about a  young Asian girl who notices that her eyes’ shape is different from her classmates. She then realizes that her eyes appear to look exactly like her mother and grandmothers and finds an appreciation for her features. This children’s book draws from the womens’ strength in her life and takes you on a powerful self-love journey. You can find this book at Kido Chicago!

Let’s Read…

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi

This book is about a young girl named Unhei who is from Korea. Unhei is anxious that the young children in her class may not like her and will not be able to enunciate her name. Unhei ultimately decides that she loves her name and that she will not change it. You can find this book at the Rose Cafe.

Let’s Read…

Hush!: A Thai lullaby by Minfong Ho

This illustration book is perfect for our infants and toddlers. It illustrates a Thai mother singing her child a lullaby about nature and animals. Children at these early stages can recognize differences in features so it is important that we include culturally diverse faces in our library. You can find this book at the Rose Cafe.

Trails is committed to a twofold process of investigating our environment for bias and continually inviting our community members to share their cultural experiences with our students. Guided by the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach, we invite our parents to share any cultural practices that they would like with their child’s classroom.  We support inclusion and strive to foster an environment where our children can continuously communicate experiences unique to their families. Stay tuned for more information on getting involved and sharing what makes your family unique!