Young children, however unaware of racism, are curious about racial, physical and cultural characteristics. According to a prevailing majority culture ideology “children are “color-blind,” i.e., they are unaware of race and racism” [1, pp. 2]. In addition, it can be argued that in order to have non-prejudiced adults in future, children should not face racist attitudes as stereotypes around them and should learn to avoid discrimination and prejudice. Therefore, racism and racist attitudes should be avoided and denied in childhood.
Furthermore, as it is quoted in Children, Race and Racism: How Race Awareness Develops,
The “color-blind” position is analogous to the ostrich’s head-in-the-sand strategy. A considerable body of research demonstrates that children in the U.S. are aware, at a very early age, of physical and cultural differences among people, and they learn the prevailing social attitudes toward these differences whether or not they are in direct contact with people different from themselves [1, pp. 2].
Researchers, like Devine, have long posited that non-conscious or implicit racial prejudice develops via exposure to prejudicial socializing agents starting in childhood [2]. Since children are in contact with their parents more than anybody else, therefore, there is a relationship between parents’ racial attitudes and their children’s implicit prejudice. Children will “naturally” grow up to be non-racist adults only when they live in a non-racist society. Until then, adults must guide children’s anti-racist development. Ann Beuf points out,
On the other hand, parental training which contradicts [“color-blind” ideologies] can play a vital role in establishing positive racial attitudes in children. … Our data with the children of activists suggests that a home in which the positive value of [one’s group] is stressed will produce children who feel positive about their group [3, pp. 119].
Jean Piaget (1896) was a Swiss clinical psychologist known for his pioneering work in child development. Piaget placed great importance on the education of children because he believed that, “only education is capable of saving our societies from possible collapse, whether violent, or gradual” [4, pp. 31]. According to Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, “children begin with intuitive concepts based on immediate experiences and gradually become capable of increasingly complex and logical thinking” [qtd. In 1, pp. 5]. Moreover, it is obvious that racial differences exist and children face racial issues at different stages in their development. In addition, these differences only become racist when either inferior or superior value labels are placed upon them.
Piaget classifies children of three- to twelve year olds into three categories based on the development of their cognitive features and characteristics; three- to five, five- to eight, and eight- to twelve year olds. In fact, Piaget believes that these ages are sensitive ages in which children are ready to be racist or anti-racist for the rest of their life.
Children of three- to five-year-olds in Western cultures exhibit certain systematic patterns of thought which Piaget calls “pre-operational”. In fact, children’s questions reveal how much they are aware of social and racial issues. Indeed, preschoolers show most interest in physical characteristics of themselves and others; then they are interested in cultural characteristics that are readily observable, such as dress and language. Moreover, many of their comments and sentences are in the form of matter-of-fact observations. While young children are excellent observers, their experience of course is limited. When children face with a new experience, they will attempt to explain it in terms of a previous occurrence which they have experienced before, even though it may not be applicable from an adult’s perspective. (Piaget describes this approach as “egocentric,” i.e., the child’s explanations make sense from the child’s point of view, but may not be accurate from an adult’s point of view.)
Around the age that children are beginning to distinguish racial identity (as they pay attention to differences between themselves and the others in order to classify), they are also learning “colors”. They have to learn to figure out the meaning of the colors applied to objects and the social meaning of colors when applied to race, for example they learn that Africans are black. Thus, inaccurate and stereotypic beliefs, caricatured images and information about racial/cultural groups are particularly harmful at this age. In addition, children learn the concept of “group” at this age and the first group that they know is family. Children learn that they acquire their physical and cultural characteristics from their membership in a particular family, and therefore, their cultural/racial group can be explained as a bigger family. In this regard, it is family who help the child learning the racial/cultural characteristics of a specific group. Thus, any prejudice or stereotypes against a specific group will remain in the child’s mind forever.
Children at the age of five- to eight-years-old “are moving into a new period of cognitive development. They show greater interest in cultural characteristics work at integrating biological and cultural factors which define racial and national identity, as well as the interrelationship between group and country membership” [1, pp. 12]. As it is argued,
This is the period when children’s sense of individual identity evolves into group identity both cognitively and emotionally (Piaget describes this stage of development as “socio-centric”). Children become conscious of being part of a group different from other groups. They want to know more about their own group and have public expressions of their groupness, and they develop a sense of pride in their identity and identify with well-known role models [1, pp. 14].
Simultaneously, five- to eight-year-olds’ awareness of racism against their group is increased in a racist society. And conversely, personal prejudice can become an integral aspect of a child’s behavior and attitudes. In fact, children at this age are ready to learn accurate and authentic information about the others, and any prejudice and stereotypes will remain in them. Likewise, Children learn prejudice and stereotypes from the beliefs and behavior of adults who surround them. These are perpetuated and reinforced by other social institutions such as the media. Parents, indeed, has the most effective role in children training because children imitate them, therefore, parents’ behavior is a pattern for the next generation. “A common expression of personal racism at this age is racial name-calling, which children begin to use against others with intent to hurt. (Certain racial words are also used within a group as an expression of group identity)” [1, pp. 14], for example using the word “Nigger” as an impolite way of calling a Negro.
Finally, nine- to-twelve-year-olds, or pre-adolescents, deepen their understanding of the various factors defining racial/cultural identity. “Children at this age begin to understand historical and geographic aspects of racial identity, as well as the concept of “ancestry”” [1, pp. 17]. They learn about their nationality, and also the nationality of their parents and their ancestors, and then decide about their own race and nationality. “Feelings and knowledge centered on cultural values and personal struggle against racism become more complex. A deepening awareness of cultural/political values also occurs” [1, pp. 17].
Nine- to twelve-year-olds have the capacity for a deeper understanding of racism in its historical and social/institutional dimensions, as well as on a personal level. There are several important concepts that adults can teach children in order to provide them with additional tools for developing anti-racist thinking and behavior. First, help children understand the difference between the recognition of cultural patterns of behavior and stereotypes and caricatures of these patterns. Second, teach them to differentiate between “majority” and “minority” perspectives. The recognition that perspectives can be different will help children to avoid internalizing harmful majority beliefs [1, pp. 18].
Children in this age group can achieve what Piaget calls “reciprocity,” i.e., understanding the interaction between individuality and group membership and the concept that all people are simultaneously humans and members of specific sub-groups, meaning that they all have both similar and different needs [5]. In fact,
Pre-adolescents can be encouraged to increase considerably their skills for combating racism. They can engage in concrete social action projects directed toward changing a particular manifestation of institutional racism in their community. […] The nine- to twelve-year-old period is a critical one. It is a time when racist attitudes and behavior can be consolidated; it is a time also when earlier inaccurate ideas can be challenged and changed [1, pp. 18-19].
Thus, all these three periods, from three to twelve, are important in developing the racist or anti-racist attitudes of children. In fact, children, in these periods, learn to be fair or unfair towards racial issues. Therefore, in order to combat racism, eliminate social discrimination, and increase the number of color-blind characters in the case of cultural/racial differences, childhood training can be a good solution.