"A Place to Belong" by Amber O'Neill Johnston

Instead of supressing a young person's curiosity about  an individual who might be different, a parent should accept it, said Amber O'Neill Johnston, author of "A Place to Belong."Turn the idea of being color blind on its head, she said.  In "A Place to Belong,"  she helps families to honor their cultural heritage and champion diversity in the context of daily family life by:   •  Fostering open dialogue around discrimination, race, gender, disability, and class  •  Teaching “hard history” in an age-appropriate way  •  Curating a diverse selection of books and media choices in which children see themselves and people who are different  •  Celebrating cultural heritage through art, music, and poetry  •  Modeling activism and engaging in community service projects as a family Johnston, a homeschooling mother of four, told Steve Tarter that schools that lack diversity in their student makeup might consider a relationship with a sister school in order to help kids better understand and appreciate people who are racially and culturally different.