Black Lives Matter

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Parents, guardians, educators, and families, below you will find a lesson to help you open up a conversation with your children about race, racism, and racial justice, particularly within the context of the church. Ideally, these lessons would be in-person, ongoing, adapted for different age groups, and flexible, allowing for the questions, perspectives, and needs of the children to influence the flow of the conversation. This is especially difficult to accomplish virtually, but as a church we feel compelled to try. Our hope is that you will connect with your kids, give space for their wonder, and seek God’s presence throughout your conversations.

God created all different kinds of people, and we are all special in our own way.  Some of us have red hair, some of us have brown skin, and some of us have green eyes.  Even though every person is made in the image of and deeply loved by God, people have created racial and ethnic groups based on how a person appears on the outside.  These groups include White, Black, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Latinx. 

Even though God loves all people, no matter their race, Black Americans have a history of being treated unfairly and even harmed.  The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s (with people you might have learned about like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks), worked to change laws that were unfair toward Black people.  Even though many of those laws were changed many years ago, Black people are still not being treated fairly and are being harmed today.  The Black Lives Matter movement is made up of people who want to make sure that Black people are not only treated with fairness and respect but have the ability to exist in a world where they can flourish. And that’s why we, and lots of other people all over the country and the world, support the Black Lives Matter movement.

When we look at the wonderful things Jesus said and the amazing things Jesus did, we see lots of examples of love, kindness, justice, and mercy – especially to those who are hurting, who are left out, and who are treated unfairly.

Today we want to say, “Black Lives Matter”, and celebrate God’s beautiful, wonderfully made, and dearly loved Black people.

Story: Hey Black Child, Sankofa Read Aloud

“Hey Black Child” is a poem written by American poet, playwright and activist Useni Eugene Perkins in the 1970’s. It was made into a storybook with beautiful pictures for kids to read at home and know that they are celebrated and loved. Today, we’ll listen to the story being read by someone from Sankofa Read Aloud:

Questions to wonder about with your grown-up at home:

  • I wonder what you notice about this story?

  • I wonder if you know who you really are?

  • I wonder where you might find God in this story?

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Activities:

Throughout history, when people feel strongly about something, one thing that we do is use words or pictures to show our feelings. We might carry a sign, hang a picture in a window, or send a letter to share our feelings and make our beliefs known. Right now, many people around the world are having strong feelings about how Black Americans are being treated. You may have seen people holding signs and pictures in your town or on the TV while protesting, which is another way to show our feelings. You might click the links below to watch a Sesame Street video of Elmo’s dad explaining the protests and the Black Lives Matter movement to Elmo, and to hear Keedron Bryan sing a song about how he’s feeling about how Black Americans are being treated:

We invite you to make a picture, poster, or piece of art that shows your support and love towards Black people. We all can use our voices to help make the world more fair.

Here are some coloring pages that you can print and color, or you can make your own on plain paper.

This is a longer Civil Rights activity book that is meant for older elementary students (Grades 4-6).

In the Bible: 

Jesus gave us many examples of how to help people who are hurt and being treated unfairly. When Jesus went to the Temple in his hometown to teach, he told the people there that he came to help people and show them God’s kindness. Here are some places in the Bible that can help us remember God’s love and Jesus’ example. Click the link below to read them.

Genesis 1:27, Psalm 72:3, Psalm 33:5, Matthew 22:37-39, Luke 4:16-19, Ephesians 4:15-16

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Celebrating Black Lives Matter!

Here are some videos to watch and songs to sing that help us love and celebrate our Black family, friends, and neighbors:

Prayer:

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Resources for Grown-Ups:

Finally, if you are a parent, caregiver, or educator and would like more resources or encouragement for addressing race with children, here are some resources we recommend: