This session is designed to discuss what we mean by allyship and anti-racism and how we can teach these to our children in a meaningful way.

You will need:

• Refreshments (optional)
• Talking to your children about race book
• Bibles

Leaders Notes:

As you begin this session, briefly recap some of the ground rules you agreed to create a safe space for discussion.

Explain that the theme of this session may well be the question we wanted answered at the start of this series, but it’s been really important for us to journey through all of the issues raised to give us a greater depth of understanding of the issues associated with race and racism, before we can begin to tackle this question. Invite the group to share some of the things that have left a lasting impression on them, or challenged them the most, over the last few weeks.

Bible reading

8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31: 8-9

Encourage the members of the group to have access to their own Bibles and read together Proverbs 31:8-9. Be clear that this verse makes the correlation between those who cannot speak for themselves and poverty, but it can also be true of others, such as race, as in the context of this discussion.

From the Book

Read page 94, from ‘For white people’ to the end of the page and page 104 ‘So how do I explain anti-racism to my children?’ to the end of page 105.

Discussion questions

• In what ways does this resonate with you?
• What challenges you most about this?
• What conversations have you had with your children about this recently?
• How do you think you could begin (or continue) this conversation with your children?
• What questions do you have about this? How can we continue to explore these?

Prayer

As we did in session 2, when we began to think about how we share these issues with our children, take some time to pray for each of the children represented by those present in the group. It may be appropriate to share their names and situations; what issues are they encountering when it comes to race? What can we pray for them?

As you draw to a close, take some time to pray for one another as parents too; that you would be equipped, strengthened and encouraged in your parenting journey.

Application

As you draw the series to a close, encourage members of the group to continue to build up one another as you endeavour to live out what you have discovered. If you have a Whatsapp group, you could use it to send out encouragements, requests and reminders over the coming weeks.
If they have copies of the book, invite participants to take some time to read the remainder of the book in their own time.