I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla

This superb, rational, and highly readable volume answers a deeplyfelt need. Parents and educators alike have long struggled tounderstand what meanings race might have for the very young, andfor ways to insure that every child grows up with a healthy senseof self. Marguerite Wright handles sensitive issues with consummateclarity, practicality, and hope. Here we have an indispensableguide that will doubtless prove a classic. --Edward Zigler, sterling professor of psychology and director,Yale Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy A child's concept of race is quite different from that of an adult.Young children perceive skin color as magical--even changeable--andunlike adults, are incapable of understanding adult predjudicessurrounding race and racism. Just as children learn to walk andtalk, they likewise come to understand race in a series ofpredictable stages. Based on Marguerite A. Wright's research and clinical experience,I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla teaches us that the color-blindnessof early childhood can, and must, be taken advantage of in order toguide the positive development of a child's self-esteem. Wright answers some fundamental questions about children and raceincluding: * What do children know and understand about the color of theirskin? * When do children understand the concept of race? * Are there warning signs that a child is being adversely affectedby racial prejudice? * How can adults avoid instilling in children their own negativeperceptions and prejudices? * What can parents do to prepare their children to overcome theracism they are likely to encounter? * How can schools lessen the impact of racism? With wisdom and compassion, I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla spellsout how to educate black and biracial children about race, whilepreserving their innate resilience and optimism--the birthright ofall children.

Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 Part One: That Magical Place: Race Awareness in the Preschool Years 11 1 Chocolate and Vanilla: How Preschoolers See Color and Race 13 2 How Preschoolers Begin to Learn Racial Attitudes 36 3 When to Be Concerned That Race Is a Problem for Preschoolers 59 4 Raising the Racially Healthy Preschooler 73 Part Two: The Waning of Racial Innocence: The Early School Years 91 5 Shades of Brown and Black: How Early Grade-Schoolers See Color and Race 93 6 Black Children’s Self-Esteem: The Real Deal 123 7 How School Influences Children’s Awareness of Color and Race 147 Part Three: Reality Bites: Race Awareness in Middle Childhood and Adolescence 173 8 Fading to Black and White: How Children in the Middle Years See Race 175 9 How School Influences Older Children’s Ideas About Race 197 10 Preparing for Adolescence: The Lines Are Drawn 218 11 A Healthy High School Experience: You Can Make a Difference 239 Epilogue 261 Appendix: Stages of Race Awareness 265 Notes 269 About the Author 281 Index 283