The Decolonial Parent is one family’s humble attempt to follow the advice of Toni Morrison:
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
Toni Morrison
Growing up mixed in Europe and black in America, we have precariously stumbled our way through preconceptions, prejudices, and privileges to arrive at this point. While our ancestors have guided our feet, we the living have shouldered the consequences of our actions and the choices we’ve made.
We reluctantly believe that we are not in a postcolonial world – yet. The deep colonization that is currently being experienced across this planet is cleaving customs and communities apart. The consequences are our children’s to bear. The consequences are severe.
We want to equip our children to navigate this world with the best tools possible. We want to give them the space to grow into the fullness of their whole entire being, embodying their multicontinental heritage. That means preserving our own connections to our roots, and sometimes rekindling them. That means interrogating our own internalized colonial mindsets, and the various manifestations of them – whether that is in the ways we connect to each other, the ways we consume or produce, or the priorities we hold today and way beyond.
We’re documenting our experiences in the hope that other decolonial parents (aunties, uncles, grandparents, godparents, included) won’t feel so alone.
Whatever stage you’re at with decolonializing your parenting, we would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and give us permission to email you.
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