Each year Hyla hosts nationally recognized speakers as part of our parent education series called Hyla Parent University. As a learning community, we provide this service to parents to support their work during the adolescent years. We are proud to open these events to the surrounding community, and we invite all parents to come learn with us, at no cost.

We recently partnered with Montessori Country School (MCS) on February 2nd to host diversity practitioner Ralinda Watts for a webinar on “Parenting with Race in Mind”. Both of our schools are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) in our classrooms and school operations/practices. Faculty and staff at our two schools came together for professional development training with Ralinda in December, and Hyla faculty continue to meet with her throughout this school year for curriculum development. 

We welcomed a record number of people to the “Parenting with Race in Mind” webinar, a strong indicator that the community is eager for support, education, and conversation on race. We are proud and grateful that we were able to provide this important opportunity in partnership with MCS.

During the webinar, Ralinda Watts encouraged parents and provided tools to help families learn and grow in social justice. “We’re all in this together. We need to lean on each other.” Ralinda united the audience around a common goal: “to parent and prepare children to hopefully inherit a world that is better than how we found it.”

With her warm and inclusive approach, Ralinda introduced a shared framework for DEIJ terms and empowering language to help families interrupt racism. She also answered questions and shared practical advice, such as intentionally preparing for difficult conversations with relatives and practicing those talks in advance, assuring us that making mistakes is part of the growth mindset of antiracism work. She challenged parents to be accomplices, to use privilege and positionality to amplify voices that otherwise have not had opportunities to be heard. 

Keep on growing: Ralinda’s reading list

Books are another way parents can invite more representation and antiracism awareness into their home. Books can be an entry point for conversations, and books provide affirming and uplifting narratives for a variety of identities and experiences. Ralinda shared this list of books and podcasts she recommends, and we’re grateful to share it here. More information on Ralinda Watts and more resources can be found on her website: Ralinda Speaks.

While change can seem slow, Ralinda said she looks to the next generation: “Where I find optimism is with young people.” We couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Ralinda, for your expertise, encouragement, and warmth. 

Ralinda’s Reading List:

Books for children:

K-1 picture books but applicable to older students for speaking about race, skin color:

Different Differenter: An Activity Book on Skin Color, by Jyoti Gupta

Saturday, by Oge Mora

Hair Love, by Matthew Cherry

Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea, by Meena Harris

The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander 

Grades 2-3 books about race, activism, justice (message resonates with older children):

Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson

The Youngest Marcher, by Cynthia Levinson

Something Happened in Our Town, by Marietta Collins 

The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander 

Grades 4-8 books about race, racism, anti-racism, and justice:

Resist, by Veronica Chambers

Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, by Anastasia Higginbotham

The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work by Tiffany Jewell

Books for adults:

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work, by Tiffany Jewell

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent, by Isabel Wilkerson

The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander

My Grandmother’s Hands, by Resmaa Menakem

Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain, by Zaretta Hammond

Podcasts:

Code Switch

Nice White Parents

Ralinda Speaks