Racism is a mental health issue, especially for children
Racism is a mental health issue for all of us, especially children. Growing up, we learned not to touch a hot stove, not to take candy from strangers and not to cross a street without looking both ways.
At some point, we also learned that humans came in different colors. That was a simple observation and as with most things in life, it became more complicated as we grew older.
Racism isn't always taught as directly as "don't touch that hot stove," but today's systemic racism is something we are all socialized into. We learn the rules simply by living in the society. We can also learn from parents and those around us. Children are not born racist. Society teaches it to them.
When racism seeps into the fabric of society, it negatively impacts the enforcement of laws, availability of housing, workplace fairness, the quality of health care and life. In short, it amounts to "systemic racism," now a catchphrase repeated in marches, social media and legislative hearings.
The killing of George Floyd and videos of too many other deaths brought the reality of systemic racism into homes across the country. It's now being discussed by families previously oblivious to the racism that others feel nearly every hour of every day. Those who deny the existence of systemic racism or don't want to talk about it help perpetuate it.
During our more than 50 years of collective professional and lived experiences, we have seen the harm done to children - of all colors.
All children are hurt by living in a racist system and the divisiveness this engenders. By using the artificial distinction of skin color to divide racial groups, racism divides us into the advantaged and the disadvantaged.
The primary impact, of course, is the negative effect on the disadvantaged, minority children who are the victims of racism. Racist acts against children and observed by children are profoundly detrimental to their health, including their mental health. Today's focus on the victims of racism is appropriate and long overdue.
Less frequently discussed is racism's negative impact on the mental health of some advantaged children - white children. Though the mental health effect does not cause the advantaged to suffer, it nonetheless presents concerns.
White children have learned that race is real and that they, indeed, are advantaged. Teaching advantaged children that their group is preferred begins a process of dehumanizing the disadvantaged group. Some white children also have learned that there are ways they can exercise this power over the disadvantaged without consequences. Taken to an extreme, it encourages the advantaged children to mistreat or bully the disadvantaged group and teaches all the children that the advantaged group will get away with it.
By teaching advantaged children to emphasize race, to dehumanize and mistreat the disadvantaged and to deny the existence of systemic racism, we are harming children's mental health.
To eliminate systemic racism, we can't concentrate solely on enacting reform laws and electing leaders devoted to the cause. We must also pay attention to how we teach our children and acknowledge the trauma systemic racism creates.
All parents, particularly in white families, need to actively teach their children that people have different colors of hair, skin and eyes; that the colors are not reasons to be advantaged or disadvantaged; that our system has been doing it wrong in regard to skin color; that it is inappropriate to mistreat or take advantage of others; and that people should be held responsible for racist behavior.
Raising a less-racist, mentally healthier child is just as important as raising one who doesn't touch a hot stove or walk into traffic. Both the child and our society will benefit.
• Gene Griffin is chair of the Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership (http://icmhp.org) and Amanda M. Walsh is director of the ICMHP.