The Oscars are tonight, or as I like to call it, my personal Superbowl. I love everything about the Oscars - the glitz, the glamour, the celebs, especially the red carpet. But I'm thinking about not watching this year - and not just because I'm sick (and I am - with strep throat so please send some well wishes - I need 'em!). The Academy just seems to be going backwards with its nominations - and it's hard to watch without feeling like the whole thing is, well, just off.

The following article helps articulate some of the issues that come along with #OscarsSoWhite. People of color are just not being nominated at a rate that reflects their numbers in the American population. Not one of the actors and actresses nominated this year is a person of color. Not. One. Even the Academy has acknowledged the issue and has pledged change. You can't get the Oscar Paycheck Bump if you don't win. You can't win if you're not nominated. You can't be nominated if there aren't quality roles on there for you.  Don't get me wrong, I love me some Jennifer Lawrence (who doesn't?!?!?) But I want this article to extend to more people of color, not just to up-and-coming women in general.

So check out the article and let me know if you'll be watching. I haven't decided yet, so let me know your opinions for or against. It'll give me something to do as I suffer through this sickness. Thanks for brightening my day!

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This is an incredibly powerful video from a father to a daughter. Take a watch and talk to your kids about it. Boys, girls, does not matter. They all need to hear this message.

Also, it is important to keep in mind that this doesn't look the same for all couples. Gay couples' households look significantly more egalitarian. Check out this article for more information. According to the Washington Post, straight couples have a lot to learn from gay couples.

I love talking with teenagers about issues of diversity. In many ways, they are still just kids and providing them with new information and knowledge is incredibly gratifying because of the way they just soak it up. However, I am also always shocked by how much I learn from teenagers when I talk to them as well. So many adolescents are quite introspective and they think about things in a different way than I would. They tend to be quite candid too, if given the opportunity to be honest.

The following is really interesting - both for teens and adults. All kids will eventually become adults and lead the social and economic growth of our country. They deserve to know what they are getting into; what they are inheriting. The following is a moving infographic (who doesn't love a good infographic??) that outlines the current economic realities of American society. It's not a lecture or a passionate plea for change. It just lays out the facts. Teenagers will eventually enter the work world (sooner is better than later-right parents?) and should understand the impact of where they might fall within this infographic. So share it with them and have a discussion about it. What are their thoughts about this chart? Where do they think their family lies? Where do they want to end up and why? If you have a conversation with your teen (or your class if you are a teacher), leave a comment below and let us know what things came up that surprised you. Even if the video does not give you any new information, I almost guarantee that your teen will.

http://www.utrend.tv/v/9-out-of-10-americans-are-completely-wrong-about-this-mind-blowing-fact/

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This picture has been circulating all over social media. It is absolutely beautiful. I got the chills when I first saw it. Check it out and leave a comment below about what your reaction was when you first saw this incredible picture. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/20/this-photo-of-obama-and-a-little-visitor-at-a-black-history-month-celebration-says-a-lot/

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One of the philosophies of Culturally Competent Kids is that talking about diversity does not have to be a drag. Yes, having hard conversations is important. Yes, it is essential to confront things that might make you uncomfortable. But I think it is also important to find a way to make the conversation uplifting. In my practice in Washington DC, one of my philosophies is to work towards your goals from a place of strength. Yes, there are areas that need to be improved, but if all you do is focus on your deficits, it is hard to see how you will be able to work your way out of crippling depression or anxiety. So, I want to take that approach here with CCK as well. I know that we have a long way to go, but what areas of improvement have you seen in our society that surprised, astounded, or amazed you? I'll start...

When I was in grad school, I taught a class on diversity for four semesters. I remember in my first semester telling the class that I did not think that I would see a Black president in my lifetime. Two semesters later, I was eating my words because Barack Obama had become a serious contender for the presidency. I was never so happy, or so shocked, to be proven wrong.  Whether or not you agree with his political views, you have to admit that Obama being elected (twice!) was significant progress. It makes me wonder what's possible in the next 10, 20, 50 years.

Take a quick minute and fill out the anonymous survey about where you have seen progress and what you predict will happen in the coming years. I will report back on what you all have said so we can reflect on how far we've come and get excited for where we are going. I hope that this invigorates and inspires you-I know it will inspire me!

When I have an article or something quick to share, I'm now going to post it as a blog quickie. You won't have to set aside a lot of time to read it, just a little something to get you thinking. Enjoy this one about fashion-one of my favorite subjects as a teen (I still love it!). If you have a fashion-obsessed teen or tween at home, check out this article and discuss with them. Defining standards of beauty is a big deal and so important to young people. This article showcases steps in the right direction. 

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"That's not fair!"

How often have you heard that one? I know that I have-as a parent and an educator. A sense of fairness and justice is something that develops in children at a young age and stays with them throughout their lives. When they are very young, what is fair is often dependent on what the child wants. As they grow older, children start to develop a more sophisticated, nuanced way of understanding fairness. And some of the way in which they evaluate the righteousness of a situation is through the lens of culture. The following article explains how children develop a sense of fairness. It appears that some aspects of fairness are universal while others depend on where a child is raised. For more information about what fairness actually looks like in the brain and what regions are activated during a game regarding fairness, check out this article. 

This series will be ongoing. There may not be a post every week, but we'll keep it going for as long as people have questions that need to be answered! Leave a comment below, fill out the interest survey, or contact me. What questions do you have about diversity and the brain? What would you like to know more about? How does this all relate to your children? I can't wait to hear from you!

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If you Google "Family Pictures", lots of beautiful images pop up. The families are smiling, there are usually 2 or 3 children in them (and usually one boy and one girl). Everyone is dressed in lovely bright colors-at least one person is wearing a polo shirt. And another thing to notice is that the families tend to be homogeneous. This is not to say that they are all White-in fact, the first family that popped up when I Googled this was Asian-but they tend to all be the same race. They also tend to be one daddy and one mommy. Everyone once in awhile a grandparent, or two, is thrown in there (not literally, but you get the idea) and they are also the same race as the rest of the family. I scrolled down for so long, I gave up before I found another interracial couple (except for Modern Family stills), a gay couple (except for Modern Family promos), or any other type of family.

This made me realize something. First of all, thank goodness for Modern Family! Their portrayal of families is truly fantastic. I think that they help expand the idea of what constitutes a family-at least according to Google. But more importantly, is this really the only way that we think of families nowadays? There are so many different types of families today and I think it's important that we celebrate them all. Family is not defined by a husband and wife-not by a man and a woman for that matter. Family, in my opinion, is defined by love and caring. I get asked sometimes what the difference between family and friends are. My answer is always that family is permenant. So think about the people in your life who are permanant; the people who are not going away. Those are your family.

I'd love to have you all brainstorm some non-traditional families that you can think of. I will name a few to get people started, but I know that I will fall short of thinking of them all. Then talk to your child(ren) about family and what it really means. And allow your child to come up with some examples of non-traditional families that they know of that fit into the following categories or others that you may think of. It is a great way to help them expand their thinking and challenge the traditional.

• Interracial families
• Blended families
• Divorced families
• Never-married families
• ...

Please comment below with additional suggestions. This is clearly not an exhaustive list, but wouldn't it be great if we could generate an enormously long list? One that really challenges those Google photos and allows people to define family in the way that they see fit. I'm looking forward to seeing your responses!

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I'm just going to leave this here. Feel free to comment away.

I love looking at brain development through a cultural lens. So much of what we think is innate or automatic is actually culturally dependent or is highly influenced by culture. The following article talks about the influence of culture on mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are pathways in the brain that help you to learn from someone else's actions. For example, if you watch someone shooting a basketball, mirror neurons are helping you to learn how to perfect your jump shot even without physically practicing it. The same neurons fire when you are shooting the ball. Mirror neurons also fire for other actions such as gestures and expressions. Many neuroscientists believe that these neurons are the basis for empathy in the brain.

However, not all actions are created equally when it comes to mirror neurons. As the article points out, it depends who performs the action as to how the neurons fire in the brain. If you perceive the person performing the action to be someone who shares your culture, then there is a higher level of mirror neuron activity. So if neuroscientists are correct, this essentially means that we empathize more with someone of our own culture. I would argue that it is also true that we learn better from someone of the same culture.

So what does this mean for children? Well, what if your child has a teacher that does not look like him or her; that is not of the same culture? Does that mean that your child will have a harder time learning from them? What about learning from peers? If a peer of a different culture does something really well, is it less likely that your child will learn from their actions? I am not sure that anyone has the answers to these questions yet, but they are important ones to ask.

So what can you as a parent do? Help your child to see the similarities between themselves and others and not just the differences. It appears that the more we identify with someone, the more we can empathize with them, and (I would argue) the more we can learn from them. You do not have to say that everyone in your child's life is the same-that would be disingenuous. But you can talk about what unique things you share in common. A common family set-up, a common interest, a common background, a common language or dialect. Help your child to see that we are all diverse and different. And that is part of what binds us together.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070718002115.htm

This series will be ongoing. There may not be a post every week, but we'll keep it going for as long as people have questions that need to be answered! Leave a comment below, fill out the interest survey, or contact me. What questions do you have about diversity and the brain? What would you like to know more about? How does this all relate to your children? I can't wait to hear from you!

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