Parent Village Stories: Simone
When Simone Boone heard about a new program for parents to be held at the Kingsley Association, she was immediately intrigued. The Jamaica-born mother of two gravitates to new and interesting classes, and all she needed to hear was that P.R.I.D.E. Parent Village was for parents of young Black children. She didn’t know what the acronym P.R.I.D.E. stood for — it’s Positive Racial Identity Development in Early Education, for the record —or what the six-week curriculum would be like. What she did know is that she was open to anything that could help her grow as a parent. We asked her to share her experience with Parent Village.
Parent Village is a response to parents in Pittsburgh seeking more information about how to talk with their children about race. In P.R.I.D.E. interviews, parents felt unprepared to engage their young children in these difficult conversations, so we designed a curriculum to change that. Over the course of six weeks, parents learn about the history of Africa, contemporary ideas like colorism, and how music and dance has evolved throughout Africana culture. They also receive ideas about how to start and continue conversations about race as well as activities and materials designed by P.R.I.D.E. staff to help grow each child’s positive racial identity.
For more information on Parent Village, email racepride@pitt.edu.
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