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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m Black, and I want to be honest that this comes across as pretty off-base and even offensive. It sounds like you're treating your child's tennis coach like a "Black experience box" to check, rather than as a whole person. Representation and diversity matter, but not in a tokenizing way. Being "street smart" isn't about having a Black coach or knowing people of color; it’s about real-life experience, emotional intelligence, and learning how to navigate the world, including being aware of systems of privilege and inequality.

If you want to raise your son to be more grounded, empathetic, and socially aware, try exposing him to different communities through volunteering, reading books by authors of color, watching diverse films, and having honest conversations about race and privilege, starting with examining your own assumptions. Kids pick up on more than we think. But using a Black coach as a stand-in for “the real world” is not the answer.[/quote] ^^ Me again. Since you asked to be specific, I'll give you a book and movie recommendation.  I'm sure you can research some volunteer opportunities that are a reasonable distance for you.

Last Stop on Market Street is a picture book by a Mexican-American author about a Black boy and his grandmother. They take a bus ride through their city, and along the way, the little boy is able to spend time with his grandmother and also discover beauty in places that don't look rich or perfect. It gently touches on race, class, empathy, and community.

The main character of the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is Afro-Latino. It's an exciting story that organically touches on themes of identity, resilience, and diversity.  [/quote]

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