More than 100 people attended "Talking to Children about Race: Community Storytelling & Dialog."
More than 100 people gathered at Christ Church Episcopal in Whitefish Bay Tuesday night to discuss different ways to speak with children about race at a community event organized by Ex Fabula and the Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion.
The event, “Talking to Children About Race: Community Storytelling and Dialog,” included storytelling from Ex Fabula fellows and listening circles where individuals told stories about how they have approached this important topic with children. The event was free and included a meal and childcare so adults could gather in groups of 10 to speak about the topic with the help of a Zeidler Center facilitator.
Elaine Maly of Ex Fabula helped organized the event. She said she wants people in Milwaukee to start this discussion with their children right away.
“People don’t talk about race until something horrible happens,” said Maly. “We need to learn how to do it more and how to do it right away...not wait until there’s a problem.”
Zak Heimerl of Ex Fabula shared his own personal story at the event. He said that he should have spoken with his son about race earlier, following a situation where his son heard an individual use a racial slur.
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“We didn’t have a discussion about it and we didn’t talk about how it made the other person feel,” said Heimerl. “Looking back now, I wonder if I helped perpetuate the very thing I was trying to avoid with my son.”
The event, which included listening circles, was organized by Ex Fabula and the Frank Zeidler Center for Public Discussion.
The listening circles lasted an hour and included individuals from many different backgrounds. Individuals spoke about how race has impacted them personally. They also came up with strategies on how to explain diversity and segregation to children.
“We can add history to our discussions,” said Hope Owens-Wilson, a teacher with Milwaukee Public Schools. “We can ask them if it’s fair,” she said, when discussing the redlining of many Milwaukee neighborhoods by the Milwaukee city government in the 20th century.
Hope Owens-Wilson is a teacher with MPS.
Gloria Hernandez, the mother of Monica Bonilla, a storyteller at the event, was also present. She shared a story from her past.
“When my children were small, they would always ask me why people are black, and I would tell them because god made them that way,” said Hernandez. “Everyone has a different color skin, but we’re all the same.”
