European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Racism to  Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb the Washington Post race relations stripped Down to skin color and hair texture can be a daunting subject to discuss with preschool children particularly if the topic arises As can occur with children seemingly out of the Blue like the time William my then 4-year-old son announced while Riding a department store escalator Quot i want to be White. Quot Whites Are  Quot being Black. Being an african american in t Good that s the reason Why Quot he said As i explored what prompted this revelation. In response to a question about what is wrong with being a Black person he pointed his Finger and pretended to shoot. Somewhere along the line my son had received messages that being a Black person in America was not something to be proud of. Somewhere in his 4-year-old psyche he had come to the conclusion that to be Happy to achieve Success to reap life a Bounty he needed to be White my conscious efforts to imbue my son with a positive sense of himself and his race had failed. Later that night i asked my husband to talk with our firstborn Greg spoke with William about being proud of who he is. He reminded him of his uncles grandfathers and great Grandfather who were Good hard working Black men men who had built Homes for their families and who had left a Rich legacy for him. William listened. They talked about the Rev. Martin Luther King or. And other famous Blacks and our son emerged from the conversation saying he was going Quot to grow up to be a proud Black Man like  Black parents even those who feel they Are instilling in their children racial Pride As Well As racial tolerance must not flinch or panic when the time no matter How Inopportune comes to explain the harsh realities of racism and race relations to their Young ones. The sooner those conversations take place the better say clinical psychologists Darlene Powell Hopson and Derek Hopson who have written a Book on the subject parents should teach their children about race at an Early age they say because usually around age 3 children begin showing a preference for Whites the hop sons and others contend that children Are bombarded from infancy with negative messages about being Black and positive images about being White from Media accounts commercials Peers and relatives Quot Black parents who read traditional fairy tales and folklore to their children Send them messages very Early on that Kings Queens princes and princesses Are White and that the world is controlled and run by White people Quot psychologist Alvin f Poussaint of the Harvard medical school said in the foreword to the Hopson Book Quot in addition important cultural symbols and the fantasy heroes who exercise dominant Power Over children Are White among them Superman. Batman he Man. Master of the universe and even Captain Midnight Quot tie hop sons believe Black parents have an extra responsibility to Point out negative racial images explain their inaccuracies and teach our children How to readers action line civilians wont get government housing Aii Sull of Iho ii Quot i. I1 make government housing in the for Inu a m t r. N1 in a to civilians a it so when As the air Force on Rhein main a r p. Aus Idini government quarters to a Miriam i i possibility Toi an army civilian to App a a i a a the same company should government Quartee. T it a a no. A civilians in Suzio Undine co Mem i. Ltd. A a a a ined Becq Etc would the i a an it i i ii i that a my u in 111v in i Udemi to t get Al a Patricia Diperna Frankfurt Germany separate themselves from them and protect their  in their Book different and wonderful raising Black children in a race conscious society the hop sons provide a trusty Compass for parents. Quot if your child knows and loves the person he is appreciating his physical appearance As Well As his personal character and his culture there is Little that can undermine  in an interview Darlene Powell Hopson pointed out that it s not just students in integrated schools who must sometimes fend off stereotypical and racist comments. Students in predominantly Black inner City schools often confront a kind of Black on Black racism. Quot we have those struggles within our own setting Quot she says where students and even school officials Are Quot internalizing society s View of what is Good and what  Light skin and so called Quot Good Quot hair Are often considered the desired attributes dark skin and Quot Nappy Quot hair Are Many times the targets of ridicule. Sesame Street probably the most watched television show for preschool children decided to focus on How youngsters Between 3 and 5 View differences in skin color hair textures and other appearances. Valeria Lovelace director of sesame Street research says program segments will focus on a different group each year for four years african americans native americans latinos and asians. The Bottom line is to show positive interactions Between people at the Core of which is Friendship says Lovelace. Quot children of this age Are picking up on the values of the society Quot she adds. Quot they can see differences and similarities and they Are picking up on How society evaluates them Quot doll s play and Aby the Washington Post Arents can learn a lot about their children a self image and their racial View of the world by watching them play with dolls of various skin hues and hair textures. Researchers continue to be surprised at How Many Black children prefer White dolls. It seems not much has changed since psychologist Kenneth Clark performed the famous doll studies nearly 50 years ago in which Black children overwhelming selected White dolls and considered them More desirable than their Darker counterparts. Six years ago clinical psychologists Darlene Powell Hopson and Derek Hopson repeated the Clark study in their recently released findings the hop sons reported that not Only did 65 percent of the Black children choose White dolls but 76 percent said the Black dolls Quot looked bad Quot the results Are still relevant today says Darlene Hopson adding that they got similar results in june during a filming of preschoolers playing with dolls the doll research Quot is indicative of children picking up on the messages that they Are getting in  Derek Hopson says sesame Street research director Valeria Lovelace says Brigitte Schmitz Public affairs specialist Frankfurt military Community replies there Are currently no plans to make government House a in the Frankfurt area available to civilians tie question whether government quarters May be made available to  is a policy Issue that must be a a Stubl Ned a the commander m chief United states a quo Fumi Quot Unce the decision to provide quarters to a it a  or the commander m chief a or a Vannot m orm i he if and when quarters a a a a let it us  a Quot a a or i i or 11�?� r it i i a a a r a c  h. Myc Ion. R t  amps Sharon Kilday Tarrant child s self image the scenario was the same when they organized a group of preschool children to play with dolls As a part of their new programming thrust to gauge How preschoolers View race relations. Black and White children said they would play with both color dolls but when Given the Choice the children picked the White dolls Lovelace says Quot Many Black children even chose White dolls when asked to pick out the doll that looked More like them Quot the hop sons wrote in their Book different and wonderful raising Black children in a race conscious society Quot these results Tell us Early in their lives Many Black children learn that whiteness is More valued than blackness in society. Therefore when they have a Choice they will often choose White Over Black Quot the hop sons in their Book offer suggestions for parents about building their child s self esteem a use doll play to help children stretch their imagination and express themselves a read books and stories to the child that have positive Black characters and heros a expose children to different kinds of people a display pictures of Black people you respect or other Black Art in your Home a shield children from negative experiences and avoid using racial stereotypes in the Home housing available in Frankfurt no eligibility standards have been established to write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort. San veg to answer some of the questions about life Oon seas in a military environment or it questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues Tor answers Are not readily available if you have a ii Veshon and Don t know where to turn for the Mower Wale to realtors action line c to the stars we St i t / Quot a rg-180 Apo of Pikr 1 All letters 1 a a a Quot it a a \ Preh it nce wit be Given to Quot Quot or a at on o of it ral micros to our Page 16 a the stars and stripes Friday january 24. 1992