Dear white “parenting expert” friends,
First of all, let me thank you for doing what many consider important work. As an emerging voice in the field of parent education and coaching, I have benefited both personally and professionally from the work you’ve done, the books you’ve published, the cute and encouraging Facebook posts and Instagram graphics you’ve created for people to share. I’ve often shared them myself.
Secondly, let me again thank you, albeit a bit facetiously this time, for contributing to the conditions that led to the creation of Latinx Parenting. You see, it had been years that a frustration had been steadily growing in me. Yes, I appreciate you as I mentioned above, but I want to share an observation that has become increasingly clear and frankly unacceptable and later follow up with some clear requests.
Let me be clear that this bone I’m about to pick dry belongs not only to me, but to countless other non-white parents, families, and parenting experts of color that I’ve had an opportunity to engage with, and often on the back of this shared qualm. Some of us have even created whole damn conferences to address this systemic foolery in the parenting world.
The disappointment is this, and I’m just gonna say it:
The parent coaching and education world is too. damn. white.
It’s true. Everywhere I turn, there’s another digital conference with no speckle of melanin in sight. Or maybe one speckle. It is never above 10%. I’m very serious, I count the number of speakers, then the number of non-white speakers, do the math, and feel my chest tighten. We are not seeing ourselves represented. And it’s more and nauseating each time.
I’ve tried to tell myself that it shouldn’t bother me, that you’re not to blame, that you don’t know any better. I tried to convince myself that you mean well and that’s all that should matter.
But that’s NOT all that matters.
What matters are our voices. What matters are our stories. What matters is that you hold yourself and the organizers that invite you onto their stage accountable. It matters that you don’t let us continue doing all of the heavy lifting, all of the equity work, all of the labor to bring the perspectives of Latinx & Black, Indigenous, People of Color (or BIPOC as is commonly used, for my unknowing white friends in white worlds).
We have been driven to build our own tables now because it’s clear we’re not welcome to sit at yours. And that’s okay. And… it’s also not okay, because we need you to dismantle white supremacy in this field too. And if you have a platform with an audience of any color and you’re not using it at least partially to do that.. I’m side-eyeing you. 👀
To quote my friend Trina Greene Browne, founder of Parenting for Liberation, in a podcast episode which was a part of a “Parenting Decentering Whiteness” series hosted by myself and Cindy Wang Brandt of Parenting Forward:
“I AM asking a lot.”
Yes, we need you to do more. A lot more. We need you to use your privilege to hand the mic over to someone who hasn’t spoken yet. We need you to stop assuming that all families have the resources, capacities, privileges to do things the way you expect parents to do them. We need you to do this even though it’s not going to make you any money. We need you to acknowledge your privilege. We need you to wield it in support of parents, families, and children that look very different than yours. We need this now.
By now you’re probably thinking “Heavens to Betsy, you’re right, Leslie! I never noticed! What ever can I do to prioritize equity and be an ally in my field?!”
I’m so glad you asked. To save you from too much head scratching, I wanted to offer you some support and free Latina labor.
First, lets make sure we’re on the same page about the facts: If you’re invited to be a part of a panel, summit, conference, parenting expert conga line, WHATEVER, and you look around and see that most if not every other panelist/speaker is also white— THAT’S A MIGHTY BIG PROBLEM.
Now, here are JUST 10 (not all of the) WAYS YOU, AS A WHITE PARENTING PROFESSIONAL OR WHITE PATRON OF THEM, CAN USE YOUR WHITE PRIVILEGE TO BE AN ALLY TO NON-WHITE AND MARGINALIZED PARENTS AND FAMILIES (unless you really DGAF about non-white marginalized parents and families or racial justice which is also possible and is a bigger problem and I hope you get yourself some anti-racist education.)
Akilah Richards of Raising Free People andAkilah Richards of Raising Free People and Fare of the Free Child Podcast
Nikolai Pizarro de Jesús of Raising Readers and author of the book Ring the Alarm: the Hope of Black and Brown Communities: A Zero to Five Parenting Guide for Low Income Black and Latino Caregivers
Yolanda Williams of Parenting Decolonized and her partner Crystal Stampley of Conscious Parenting Time
Jasmine & Mo of Parenting is Political
Iris Chen of Untigering
Mercedes Samudio of the Diversity in Parenting Conference and author of Shame Proof Parenting
Krissy Coggins of Krissy’s Couch
Katie Ishizuka and Ramón Stephens of The Conscious Kid (Also check out their research on how Dr. Seuss was a racist, boom)
Andrea Landry of Indigenous Motherhood
Sylvia Poareo of Connecting Within
Stacey Patton, author of Spare the Kids
Melissa Carnagey of Sex Positive Families
Yesenia Mendoza-Menchaca and Pablo Menchaca of Somos Padres
Gabriela Blanco of Healing Parents
…and those are just the ones off the top of my head (!) and it isn’t even close to all of them (!!). The point is– WE OUT HERE!
We exist right next to you and are now inviting you to turn your head and look at the richness and possibility that could exist in the line-ups you create or are invited to be a part of.
If, so far, this letter has somehow triggered you, made you feel offended or threatened, or caused you to feel an urge to call the police or call your sister to complain the way you might about burnt tuna casserole, I encourage you to be reflective about why it is stirring you up and whether it’s a cognitive dissonance flare-up. For some of you, it may not feel good. For others, it may have created a welcoming awareness.
What I hope, though, is that you have taken this as a necessary call to action. My fingers and toes are crossed that you have been able to put yourself in my huaraches and hold this call to make a shift with value and empathy, the way you ask parents to hold the needs of their children.
I look forward to seeing the mosaics you demand to see in the parenting world and begin to wield your privilege to uplift our voices, our stories, our offerings for families in the same, or more pronounced, way that you uplift yours.
From my soft heart & my fiery gut,
Leslie Priscilla Arreola-Hillenbrand
Founder, Latinx Parenting
p.s. If you’re reading this and want to add a Latinx or BIPOC parenting coach or influencer onto this list, please comment under this post with their name and contact details below!
♥
p.p.s. if you are looking for a way to stay connected to parenting support that is rooted in nonviolence, social justice, decolonized ways of being in family, and cultural honoring and sustenance, subscribe to my mailing list HERE.
♥
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🎨: @beverlylove
It's always so interesting and a true gift to see what our kids choose to be for Halloween when given total choice over their costumes. 🤩
May we always encourage our children to freely express every aspect of themselves and not project our own old socially-constructed programming about what they “should” do, like, or be in this world. Let's give them the autonomy to decide and embrace the things they show interest in. 🎃
And also, let's not forget---it's also up to us to guide children in understanding that **CULTURE IS NOT A COSTUME** so that we can, as a family, be careful and conscious about the harms of appropriation.
What costumes did your children choose this year? 👻
#Halloween #LatinxParenting #EndChanclaCulture #RaisingFutureAncestors #DecolonizeOurFamilias #IJustWantMiGenteToHeal #thecyclestopsconmigo
Parents & adults—I know it’s Monday but let’s enjoy some Halloween fun! Give yourselves permission to not take yourselves super seriously today, K?! JUEGA! PLAY! Use this opportunity to let your inner child shine and play, too. Your children will appreciate it far beyond Halloween. 🥰
So, what are you dressing up as today? What about your kids⁉️
Happy Halloweeeeen, everyone! 🤩
#Halloween #LatinxParenting #EndChanclaCulture #RaisingFutureAncestors #DecolonizeOurFamilias #IJustWantMiGenteToHeal #TheCycleStopsConmigo
👻🎃🧟♀️
I often tell my children that they have a right to say, "No," even to me.
Setting boundaries has not only been good for my children but it’s also benefitted my entire family (my own Mami is so much better at advocating for herself now, too.)
With the holidays just around the corner, it's the perfect time to get comfortable setting boundaries for you and your familia.
✨ As challenging as it can be, it will be liberating for us and generations to come. ✨
Check out the full article under Press Features under our bio!
And, if you'd like to learn more about boundaries and how to set them with confidence, check out our A Mi Manera Workshop! Our supportive workshop will give you the tools to approach different situations respectfully and firmly. Plus, you'll learn how to truly be an advocate for your own kids so they can feel confident using their voices as well.
Then---on November 12th, I'll be holding a LIVE Integration Session where we'll dive into the workshop content a little deeper and discuss all the ways you can implement boundaries with your familia y queridos.
Equity pricing IS available---we don't want anyone to miss out on participating! You can see the details on the checkout page of our workshop.
👉🏽 🔗 in BI0 to save your seat!
#LatinxParenting #EndChanclaCulture #RaisingFutureAncestors #DecolonizeOurFamilias #IJustWantMiGenteToHeal #TheCycleStopsConmigo
✨This is your friendly Thursday reminder! ✨
Years ago, my comadre was expressing frustration her struggle to have a relationship with her own parents after her son had been born.
She & her husband lived in the family house & her parents would frequently cross boundaries: expressing preferences between grandchildren, openly giving her & her partner unsolicited advice about how to raise & discipline their son, frequently gaslighting, & guilt-tripping them when they would attempt to set a boundary, undermining any limits attempted to be set with their son, frequently asserting non-consensual affection, & gossiping about other family members including their other kids. 😓
This created a stressful & harmful environment for her little familia. They were trying their best to be grateful, respectful, & tactful about this, but also recognized that it wasn’t healthy for their son to be in that environment, even if it was family.
As a collective cultura, this story may feel familiar to a lot of us. Everybody’s been up in everybody’s business for generations & we’re now realizing that it doesn’t feel good, and it may not be right for our familias.
No matter what, the well-being of our growing niñes comes before the feelings of loved ones. And grandparents, tíos, tías, primas, etc. *DO NOT* have the right to have access to our niñes, period. As their protectors, we have the option to take access away if it gets to a point where boundaries have been violated.
Pero...HOW do we do this? Well, it’s hard! We need support around it, and LOTS of practice.
If you've been struggling to set boundaries in your familia, then I'm inviting you to enroll in our “A MI MANERA” Workshop. We discuss how to set boundaries firmly & communicate our needs with our families while preserving relationships.
Then, on November 12th, I'll be holding a LIVE Integration session for all participants where we’ll gather and talk about the ways we can apply all this to everyday situations. No te lo piedras! ⏰
👉🏽 🔗 in BI0 to learn more & enroll! #LatinxParenting #EndChanclaCulture #RaisingFutureAncestors #DecolonizeOurFamilias #IJustWantMiGenteToHeal #TheCycleStopsConmigo
Your style is very unique compared to other people I’ve read stuff from.
Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this page.