Well, the topic for K is a little disappointing for me. The word 'knowledge' doesn't make the right sound at the beginning of the word! It just doesn't sound the way I want it to: K for a word that starts with an 'N' sound. Darn you English language!

Ok, now that the incredibly nerdy side of me has gotten that out of my system, we can talk about knowledge. Because correct beginning sound or not, it's an important part of cultural competence. In fact, most definitions of cultural competence include something about having knowledge of different cultures (awareness, skills, behaviors, attitudes are also often thrown in there). So possessing knowledge about other cultures is absolutely vital.

It's important to keep in mind that having knowledge about every culture is pretty much impossible. You are never going to know everything about everyone around the world. But it's always something that you strive for. In several previous posts (I'm loving B, C, & G) I talked about how to increase cultural knowledge while having fun with your kids. There will be even more suggestions in upcoming posts (letters M & P are favorites of mine). So in this one, I thought I'd focus on the grown-ups for a change and offer some adult book suggestions for how to increase your cultural competence knowledge. If you have teens or young adults at home then they may also be able to read these with you:

• Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum
• Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
• Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates
• Man Up: Reimaging Modern Manhood by Carlos Andreas Gomez (a good friend of mine!)
• Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji
• Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein
• Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and the New Reality of Girl World by Rosalind Wiseman
• Raising Ryland: Our Story of Parenting a Transgender Child With No Strings Attached by Hillary Whittington

Which one will you get first? Have you read any of these? What did you think? Do you have additional suggestions for adult books? Leave a comment below. Don't forget to check back next week for letter L! Better yet sign up for our newsletter and it'll be delivered right to your inbox!

This post is for all of you out there that have an introspective kid at home. That kid who is often really quiet and then asks the most amazingly insightful questions - ones that you can't possibly begin to answer. Questions like: "How do you know there is no such thing as monsters if you've never seen them?" or "Do people and animals all go to the same place when they die even if they don't get along?" or the ever-popular "Where do we come from?" Seriously? How did all of that brilliance just come out of my child's mouth?!?

Some kids are just incredibly reflective and express themselves best when they write down their thoughts. If you have a kid that is creative, you can encourage them to make sense of the diversity in their world by journaling about it. It can be something that they share with you or something private that is only for them. Whatever your child prefers, you should respect. But be sure to let them know that you're there to talk if they ever want to.

Below are some journaling suggestions (you don't have to write anymore! There are lots of alternative options) and some ways for your child to get started. You can suggest these to your kid, but don't force it (especially if you have a teenager at home - that's a surefire way to make sure it'll never happen). Let them know that this is a creative option that they might want to try and let their imagination flow from there. Who knows, they may come up with something that is much cooler than you or I could ever imagine!

Ways to Journal:

• Writing: Can handwrite or type
• Video Journaling: Can be done with a camera or a phone
• Art Journaling: Can draw thoughts and feelings rather than writing them
• Dance: Record or create a dance around issues of diversity

Journal Topics:

• Diversity issues at school
• Diversity issues among friends
• Diversity within one's extracurricular activities
• Diversity among town/county/state
• Diversity within one's potential chosen field of work/college/etc
• ANYTHING OF INTEREST!

Leave a comment and let us know what you might suggest to your child and what he or she may journal about. Did you kid share with you or do it privately? Let us know!

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It's official. Pokémon Go is the newest nationwide obsession. People are glued to their phones, trying to capture as many Pokémon as humanly possible. Diversity issues have captured the nation's attention as well, but for very different - and tragic - reasons. The shooting at the Orlando nightclub, the deaths of Black men at the hands of police officers, and the sniper attack of 5 Dallas police officers have left Americans reeling. These recent events are overwhelming for many and perhaps that is part of the reason Pokémon Go is so popular. At a time when so much of the news is bad news, it's nice to have some kind of escape.

But you can do both - enjoy Pokémon Go and learn about diversity. In fact, both are great activities to do alone or with others - especially kids. Read on and discover what they have in common (it's more than you think!).

• You have to be an active participant: Pokémon Go is not your typical video game. It requires you to move. Learning about diversity is similar. Sure you could sit around, read books, and let the diversity come to you, but you wouldn't get very far. You need to get up, go to new places, and see new things in order to get the full experience.
• The chase is only the beginning: You can't just capture your Pokémon. You also have to train your Pokémon, fight at gyms, and visit pokéstops. When learning about diversity, you can't listen to Lemonade once and then call it a day. You need to be consistently learning new things, having discussions, and going to events. It can still be fun! Just don't stop at one thing and think you are done.
• It's everywhere: Pokémon have showed up in all sorts of unlikely places - like the National Holocaust Museum and the 9/11 Memorial - yikes! Diversity is similarly everywhere. You can't really escape it even if you wanted to (I'm trusting that you don't want to). You're faced with it so you might as well embrace it.
• It's constantly changing: The game was just released in the US exactly one week ago. It is insanely popular, so like any smart app developer, Nintendo has already released updates. In order to keep up, you gotta get the update! There may be kinks in the beginning as you get used to the new version, but it's typically worth it. Same with diversity. For instance, if you are having a discussion about race and all you can talk about is slavery - it's time to update your system...
• It's best with kids: Let's face it - kids are quicker than we are. They are also fearless. And they soak up information like a sponge. Sure they need a little bit of guidance, or a ride over to the latest pokéstop, but they will force you to think about things differently. Wait, am I talking about a game here or learning about diversity? I think both.

​But there is one caveat; one way in which Pokémon Go is very different from diversity: Pokémon Go isn't real. The discrimination and oppression that minorities deal with on a daily basis is very, very real. Yes, Black men get shot and killed. Yes, women get sexually assaulted while they are unconscious. Yes, LGBTQ young people are subject to bullying at an astonishingly high rate. That is not augmented reality. It's not virtual reality. Those are simply the facts.

Don't shy away from learning about diversity. It can be surprisingly fun and I highly encourage that you do it with your kids. And unlike video games, which come and go, diversity is here to stay. So embrace it all - the initial learning, the updates, the technical errors. In the end, the payoff is always worth it.


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I really like this particular letter because it's all about getting up close and personal. It's great to talk about people who are different than you, but one thing that is truly effective in changing hearts, minds, and attitudes is interacting with people who are different. Why is this the case? Well, when you interact with and get to know people who are different than you, they can help to debunk the myths that can be held about a group that they belong to. Think all Muslims are terrorists? Not my friend from school and her family. All Black people are violent? Not the nice man from my church who always gives me candy (this is actually something that happens at my church - one man gives my kids candy every weekend. They LOVE him - clearly!). All gay people are promiscuous? Not our family friend who has been in a committed and monogamous relationship with his boyfriend for the past 8 years. Without these interactions, it can be harder (not impossible, but much more difficult) to understand that stereotypes aren't applicable to everyone. This can be especially helpful for children, who need something concrete, rather than hypothetical, to really internalize that. Or better yet, interactions can help prevent stereotypes from developing and solidifying in children's brains to begin with.

There is a caveat to this, however. The interaction has to be authentic. It can't be forced or just for show. Kids will see right through that. And they are going to look to you as the adult to set the tone. So if you always say hello to the mom at school who is a different color than you, but are actually friends with moms who are of your same race, that sends a powerful message to a child. Kids are smart - they know the difference! Encourage your child to interact with people who are different, but follow your own advice as well. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Playdates: Who does you kid come home talking about? Is it a kid of another race or religion? A kid who lives in a different neighborhood? Seek out that child's parent for a playdate. Don't want to do it at your house? Meet up somewhere - even stay after school with both kids and maybe offer to take the other child home afterwards. There are lots of ways to go about setting up playdates. And they help develop friendships in a way that is different than being in the classroom.
• Seek out other sources of friendship: School is a great way to develop new friendships, but what if your child's school isn't that diverse? Check out other ways for your child to develop friendship. What about your place of worship? A class that your child takes? Not good options either? Take your child to a playground in a part of town you don't usually frequent. Attend a fair or event in the next town over. There are lots of ways to seek out new friends!
• Lead by example: Do you have friends who are different from you? If yes, do they ever come to the house? Does your child know them and see them? If not, think about the message that you are sending to your kids. If you are asking your child to do something new and different, why can't you too? Maybe invite over that co-worker for dinner one night or hang out with the Mom you say hi to, but aren't necessarily friends with. Stretch yourself and your child will follow your lead.

Which one will you try first? Which is the easiest? Any additional suggestions on ways to reach out? Leave a comment below so we can all benefit from your great ideas!

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Who doesn't love a good holiday??

It's a time to spend with family, engage in traditions, and oftentimes stuff yourself with your favorite foods. Here in the US, our time off from work and school is centered around Christian holidays. We always have Christmas off and we frequently don't go to school right before or after Easter. There are also holidays that are distinctly American such as Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and holidays that don't mean a day off from school, but are expected to be celebrated (Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day). However, not all people celebrate holidays in the same way. One of the tenants that the United States was founded on is freedom of religion. Although not as much attention is paid to some religions, there are many here in the US. And each religion has its own holidays and own celebrations.

Use this to do an activity with your child. There are lots of ways to use holidays to learn about other religions. Here are some suggestions. Choose your favorite or try all of them! Or better yet, let your child pick what would be fun and interesting to them:

• Make a list of religious organizations in your town/city/county/state: This one is almost guaranteed to surprise you. How many have you heard of before? How many are completely new? Better yet, don't just learn about the organizations - visit one!
• Learn about one holiday for each religious organization/major religion: Treat this as a scavenger hunt and have fun with it! When do these holidays fall? Do we have school during these holidays? What are the different practices?
• Incorporate a holiday tradition of another religion (or another part of the same religion that celebrates differently than you do):  You may just end up developing your family's new favorite tradition!
• Invite friends of other religions to celebrate with you: This is something that we grew up doing in my family and it's a time-honored treasure. It was always so much fun to share the holiday and celebrations with loved ones. The fact that they did not celebrate the exact same thing never mattered. Your children will love it as well. Who knows? Maybe your friends will return the favor and invite you to their holiday table as well!

Which activities will you try with your kids? Which sound like the most fun? Were there any religions that you didn't know about at all? Did you find a new tradition that you love? Leave a comment below.

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