BRATTLEBORO — Parenting 4 Social Justice: Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Conversations and Action with Kids - a new book by Putney author Angela Berkfeld, along with Chrissy Colón Bradt, Leila Raven, Jaimie Lynn Kessell, Rowan Parker, and Abigail Healey - looks at social justice issues through the lens of the authors' personal experiences both growing up and as parents.
In 2015, Berkfeld, a social justice educator and activist and the mother of two kids, held her first workshop series on such topics in Brattleboro. Dozens of parents, grandparents, and other caregivers came together to learn how to talk with their kids about topics like racism, immigration, homelessness, and gender identity.
Three years and many co-facilitated workshop series later, Berkfield realized it was time to share the tools and inspiration generated by those workshops. Parenting for Social Justice: Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Conversations and Action with Kids was born.
The book, which will debut March 23, offers caregivers activities and suggestions that originated with informative, heart-centered workshops.
Using plain language, the writers discuss race, class, gender, disability, collective liberation and climate justice, and prepares caregivers to initiate age-appropriate and engaging conversations with kids about social justice issues.
Included are ideas for taking action as families - from making protest signs and attending a local march, to trying healing meditations and consciously connecting with people from different backgrounds.
Woven throughout the book are stories from diverse parents across the United States who've brought social justice into conversations with their kids. Each chapter highlights resources for further learning and step-by-step activities that readers can engage in on their own or as part of a group.
The goal is to support caregivers in raising kids who are compelled to show up for social justice.
The book features drawings by illustrator and activist Brittney Washington, who “has illustrated potential dialogues through eye-catching comic strips,” according to the project's website.
Green Writers Press owner and publisher Dede Cummings describes Parenting for Social Justice, the young publishing company's first book of 2021, as “timely and, ultimately (for our times), necessary.”