Our children deserve more
- Jan 19, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Mar 21, 2025
In these unrelenting, turbulent times – a raging pandemic, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and threats of riots at state capitols – Bronx Children’s Museum believes our children need compassionate, positive role models now more than ever.
On January 8, the American Alliance of Museums stated, “museums must lean into their missions and step up to the challenges ahead of us by educating our communities, building empathy, combating disinformation, and uplifting the stories and voices that have endured in the margins. As interpreters and educators of history and culture, museums and museum professionals have the power to uphold democracy and democratic norms, call out bigotry and hate.”
Children are the light at the end of the tunnel. They are truth-tellers who intrinsically know what is right, fair, and just. They are resilient.
Our hope is for a better future. Let us learn from our children. Let us learn to empathize with one another, to speak the truth, and above all, do better.
Our children deserve no less.
Resources for families and children during trying times.
How To Talk To Kids About The Riots At The U.S. Capitol A 3-minute audio with accompanying article from NPR about how to help children make sense of the news.
Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News An article from Child Mind Institute about how to support your children during scary times. Also available in Spanish.
An article from Safety.com about having conversations with your children about difficult topics in the news and how to make them feel safe.
A featured children's book with related activities from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL): When devastating news rattles a young girl's community, her normally attentive parents and neighbors are suddenly exhausted and distracted. At school, her teacher tells the class to look for the helpers―the good people working to make things better in big and small ways. She wants more than anything to help in a big way, but maybe she can start with one small act of kindness instead . . . and then another, and another. Small things can compound, after all, to make a world of difference.
A selected list of children's books assembled by the High Museum of Art Atlanta for their 2020 exhibition delving into the events, people, and themes of the civil rights movement through the children’s picture book. Through Picture the Dream, titles by beloved children’s book authors and artists as well as talented newcomers come together to encourage discussion and inspire young people to be tomorrow’s agents of transformation. Also see: Picture the Dream Virtual Tour for grades K-3
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