Undoing White Supremacy Starts at Home:
A Workshop for Families and Caregivers Who Want To do Better
This workshop took place on July 26th, 2020
Watch the video of the live workshop
Anastasia Higginbotham has written a children’s book that can jumpstart adults taking on these courageous conversations.
Where do we begin when it comes to talking with children about racism? Is it possible to discuss traumatic events with our children without traumatizing them too? How do we prepare for the conversations children need us to be having with them so they can step into this historic moment and help undo what should never have been done.
Anastasia Higginbotham has written a children’s book that can jumpstart adults taking on these courageous conversations.
In this workshop, we will explore the book: Not My Idea: A Book about Whiteness. In this book, a white child sees a news report of a white police officer shooting and killing a person with brown skin who had their hands up. “We don’t see color,” the child’s mother says, but the child senses a deeper truth. An afternoon in the library uncovers the reality of white supremacy in America. The child connects to the opportunity and their responsibility to dismantle white supremacy–for the sake of their own liberation out of ignorance and injustice.
Please note this workshop will be recorded and distributed to families and teachers.
This workshop took place on Sunday, July 26th
Meet the presenters
Anastasia Higginbotham
Anastasia Higginbotham launched her Ordinary Terrible Things children’s book series in 2015 with Divorce Is the Worst. She followed with Death Is Stupid and Tell Me About Sex, Grandma. Her most recent book, Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, tackles white supremacy and was published in 2018 by Dottir Press. Higginbotham makes her books by hand in collage on grocery bag paper, using only recycled materials, including jewelry and fabric. Her books and talks demonstrate a way to cope with change and loss by using whatever raw materials are available to us, scissors, glue, paper and pens, and drawing on the wisdom of our own lived experiences.
Deborah Vilas
Deborah B. Vilas, MS, CCLS, LMSW is an educator, child life specialist, social worker, writer, public speaker, and consultant whose passion is anything that supports children’s development and healing in the face of everyday life or trauma. She specializes in helping children and parents through hospitalization, loss and developmental challenges. Deb sees play as a child’s primary language and modality for self expression and healing. She teaches and coaches adults how to provide meaningful and therapeutic play experiences for children. She promotes open ended, child centered play and connecting with nature, discovery and co-creating meaning. She is the founder of PediaPlay, helping families connect, cope and heal through play.