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Louise Derman-Sparks and Patricia Ramsey, in“What If ALL The Children In My Class Are White?” (Young Children, November 2005) pose the question “How can teachers who serve all- white or predominantly white groups engage children in learning about racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity…?” (p.20). They suggest:

“Become an intentional and acute observer of children's ideas and images related to race and culture. …For instance, do children laugh at pictures of people who look different from them? Or avoid playing with dolls of color?” (p. 21).

My 14-month-old grand-daughter is a Caucasian child growing up in a multicultural environment. Recently, we visited an Early Years Play site where she noticed an African-American doll made of hard plastic on the playroom floor. She cautiously walked over to it, glanced at it, then at me and backed off, giving the doll a puzzled and somewhat anxious look. She approached the doll a number of times, without attempting to cradle it, the way I have seen her use her dolls at home. She surprised me with her reaction, as she had many soft cloth dolls with varying skin colors in her home. To my grand-daughter, this doll looked very different. As I touched, cradled, and labeled the “doll” and “baby”, my grand-daughter was encouraged to do the same and, by the end of an hour at the play centre, she happily carried her “baby” around the room.

For more information on diversity and anti-bias, check-out the related article at www.journal.naeyc.org/btj/200511.

Watch for the forthcoming book by Louise Derman-Sparks and Patricia G. Ramsey WHAT if All the Kids Are White? (New York: Teacher's College Press, 2006 Columbia University)

Contributed by Valerie Rhomberg with Laurie McNelles

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