Color-Blindness

Teaching Children to Celebrate Diversity

By Lisa Lansman

The next generation will see the rise of a new America – a place where more than half of the population is non-white and racial tolerance is the glue that holds us all together.

The U.S. Bureau of the Census estimates that by 2060, half of all Americans will be non-white, and people of Hispanic descent will make up more than one-third of the population.

The faces in school classrooms will reflect their Latin, Asian, European and African descents. But the future is well in progress; in fact, there are already more than 2 million people in America with a multi-racial ancestry.

For Lori Dryg, mother of two boys and a girl ages 11, 10 and 4, learning to get along with diversity is a part of daily life for her children. She says living in a racially diverse neighborhood helps teach her children how to be accepting of differences.

"We call it 'United Nations Street' because there are families that are white, Mexican, Asian, Latin and black," she says. "The kids just go out and play together."

Home is where children first learn about tolerance, says Dr. Joseph Cress, a child and family psychologist and author of "Peaceful Parenting in a Violent World."

"Parents should raise their children in an environment of acceptance of individual differences," Dr. Cress says. "Children learn by modeling their parents' behavior." Parents need to set a good example, giving them a foundation for tolerance of other people, he adds.

Even kids ages 10-15 say their parents continue to have a strong influence on their lives, according to the 1998 Roper Youth Report: The Mood of Young America. A majority of teens said their parents are still their biggest influence, but television and friends also play important roles in their lives.