February is Black History month. I want to honor it with my son because when I was young, we didn’t learn much about black history in school. My son is biracial and I want to be sure he gets it not just because it is his history, but because it is OUR history.

Instead of watching the Super Bowl on February 1st, we watched the movie “Boycott,” which is about the boycott in Montgomery Alabama after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat in the “Whites Only” section of the bus. It was good and sends a powerful message about the impact peace and non-violence can have.

During the movie, there is a scene where firemen sit across the street and watch the home of an African American man burn to the ground. My son, who is eight years old, asked why the firemen weren’t helping. I explained what life for black and white people in America was in that time. Then, he turned to me and asked, “Mom, am I black?”

WOW. Just WOW. My response to him was, “Yes, you are African American and you should be proud of that but more importantly proud of who you are.”

We’ve talked about race and identity in the past and I thought he got it. But this time was different because it suddenly became real for him. I know it is not the last discussion we will have around this topic.

The reason I wanted to share this topic is to create awareness of issues that come to fruition at some point in most multicultural families. Experts say it is important. It is okay to talk about race with children and also share it is wrong to hold racial prejudice. In an article titled ‘Rubbing Off” Allison Briscoe-Smith explains how kids learn about race—and how their parents can foster tolerance. Allison Briscoe-Smith, Ph.D., is a psychologist and professor at Pacific Graduate School of Psychology.

At Farmer’s Hat Productions our tagline is “Growing Kids through Diverse Learning Experiences.” We came up with that because it conveys that we understand children learn in many different ways. We created the multicultural characters in our award winning children’s book series, Bur Bur and Friends, for ALL children because it reflects our society today. I hope by sharing a bit of a window into our experience, it can somehow make a difference to someone.

Please share your thoughts below.

(Originally posted at http://burburandfriendsblog.com )

Books from the award winning Bur Bur and Friend’s children’s book series:

Kakie Fitzsimmons is Vice President and Founding Partner, Farmer’s Hat Productions. She is also Co-Author of the award winning children’s book series, Bur Bur and Friends. Bur Bur and Friends is a cast of multicultural characters who educate kids about sports, outdoor exploration and active play, through their experiences.