Mixed Race Studies

I’m Chocolate, You’re Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World

Jossey-Bass
May 2000
304 pages
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-7879-5234-1

Marguerite A. Wright

A child’s concept of race is quite different from that of an adult. Young children perceive skin color as magical—even changeable—and unlike adults, are incapable of understanding adult predjudices surrounding race and racism. Just as children learn to walk and talk, they likewise come to understand race in a series of predictable stages.

Based on Marguerite A. Wright’s research and clinical experience, I’m Chocolate, You’re Vanilla teaches us that the color-blindness of early childhood can, and must, be taken advantage of in order to guide the positive development of a child’s self-esteem.

Wright answers some fundamental questions about children and race including:

• What do children know and understand about the color of their skin?
• When do children understand the concept of race?
• Are there warning signs that a child is being adversely affected by racial prejudice?
• How can adults avoid instilling in children their own negative perceptions and prejudices?
• What can parents do to prepare their children to overcome the racism they are likely to encounter?
• How can schools lessen the impact of racism?
• With wisdom and compassion, I’m Chocolate, You’re Vanilla spells out how to educate black and biracial children about race, while preserving their innate resilience and optimism—the birthright of all children.

Table of Contents

• THAT MAGICAL PLACE: RACE AWARENESS IN THE PRESCHOOL YEARS
  • Chocolate and Vanilla: How Preschoolers See Color and Race
  • How Preschoolers Begin to Learn Racial Attitudes
  • When to Be Concerned That Race Is a Problem for Preschoolers
  • Raising the Racially Healthy Preschooler
• THE WANING OF RACIAL INNOCENCE: THE EARLY SCHOOL YEARS
  • Shades of Brown and Black: How Early Grade-Schoolers See Color and Race
  • Black Children’s Self-Esteem: The Real Deal
  • How School Influences Children’s Awareness of Color and Race
• REALITY BITES: RACE AWARENESS IN MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
  • Fading to Black and White: How Children in the Middle Years See Race
  • How School Influences Older Children’s Ideas About Race
  • Preparing for Adolescence: The Lines are Drawn
  • A Healthy High School Experience: You Can Make the Difference
• Epilogue
• Appendix: Stages of Race Awareness
• Notes
• About the Author
• Index