Family Values: Tolerance

Expose Kids to Different Cultures

The more children are exposed to racial and cultural differences, the more comfortable they become with all types of people. It’s a gradual process that involves guiding them across cultural barriers. Try to create opportunities for children to interact and make friends with people who are different from them. Involve other families in sharing their traditions, like food, games, and holidays. Have an "international food night" where you make or order in food from another country (or even another region of the U.S.), find it on a map, and read a story about that location. Suggest that your child find a pen pal, either through school, your house of worship, or a reputable website.

Stand Up to Hate

If families in your neighborhood or kids at school become the targets of hate crimes or bullying, don't pretend it's not happening. Join with other community members and school organizations to stand by the victims. This sends a message to the perpetrators that what happens to a small minority group happens to everyone. Some years ago in Billings, Mont., the whole community came to the aid of minority families who had been targeted by a racist group. (This story is told in "The Christmas Menorahs," by Janice Cohn.) According to the anti-bias organization "Not in Our Town," when you confront the issue by nonviolently supporting the victims, the community as a whole is strengthened and children learn to stand up to intolerance.