Talking About Race: The Marañas

Meet the Maraña family: Parents Sally and Chris, and kids CJ and Krystalynn. In this video, the Marañas have an honest talk about about skin color, culture, and pride.

This video focuses on colorism—the belief that lighter skin is better than darker skin. Watch the video by yourself before deciding whether to share with children, and think about the conversations you’ve had (or haven’t had) with your own children about race or colorism.

As you watch, you might jot down:

• Ideas for what you might say with talking with children in the future
• New information, viewpoints, or ideas you hadn’t considered
• Things you’d like to think more about or discuss with other adults

After you watch, you might think about:

• How do conversations around skin color look in your home? As you continue to have these conversations, how might you want them to be the same or different?
• What is this family doing that you might want to do more of? What might you want to adjust? Is there something else you might want to do?
• Sally talked about what makes her proud of her family—what makes them unique. What makes you proud of your family?
• How do you take care of yourself (as an individual and as a family) when race-related stress gets to you? How do you help children learn to take care of themselves?