By Aswad Walker
If any children in America deserve the freedom of a full, complete, enjoyable, and unencumbered childhood, it’s Black children.
No group of young people has borne more of this nation’s contradictions—its violence, hypocrisy, and broken promises—than they have. From the time they can walk, Black children are too often made to carry the weight of a society that refuses to see their innocence.
They are funneled into the school-to-prison pipeline before they ever have a chance to fail. They are “adultified”—viewed as older, less innocent, and more culpable than their white peers. They are punished more frequently and harshly in school for the same behaviors others are given grace for.
They experience higher rates of loss, trauma, and instability. They are less likely to be insured and more likely to live in neighborhoods polluted by environmental racism. They bear the brunt of police encounters and the daily psychological toll of living in a world that too often treats them as threats rather than children.
Given all that, Black children deserve the most chill, carefree, loving, nurturing, and joy-filled childhoods imaginable. They deserve to play, to laugh, to daydream, to grow without fear. But the harsh truth is that the world they are inheriting does not yet allow them that unguarded freedom.
That’s why politics, understood not as partisan bickering, but as the study and practice of power, must be part of the Black childhood experience.
Not fair, but Necessary
It’s not fair that Black children must be politically conscious just to survive, but fairness has never been America’s strong suit. What is necessary, however, is preparing them early to understand the systems shaping their lives.
Political education, when grounded in love, culture, and truth, can actually protect their joy rather than rob them of it.
Knowing how the world works helps Black children make sense of what they experience. When a teacher disciplines them differently, when a classmate uses a racial slur, or when they see news about police violence, they need context, not confusion or self-blame. Understanding racism, history, and the myth of white supremacy allows them to see injustice not as a personal flaw, but as a social construct they have the power to challenge.
Teaching Power, Not Paranoia
Some adults fear that introducing children to politics too early will make them cynical. But political education doesn’t have to crush their zest for life. In fact, it can fuel imagination.
When we teach Black children that power isn’t just what happens in Washington, their state capitol, or city hall, but what happens in their own communities, they begin to see themselves as change agents.
For them, politics can mean learning how their city council works, understanding the importance of voting, and recognizing the beauty of collective action. It can mean reading about the Montgomery Bus Boycott or the young people who integrated lunch counters and realizing they, too, have a role in shaping the world.
More than anything, it means giving them the language and confidence to say, “This isn’t right—and I can do something about it.” That’s not paranoia. Naw playa, that’s empowerment.
Where Civics Meets Self-Love
Political education for Black children must be rooted in self-love and cultural pride. It’s not just about knowing how government works, it’s about knowing who they are and whose they are.
Lessons in civics should walk hand-in-hand with lessons in identity, history, and spirituality.
When a Black child learns about Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Malcolm X, Ella Baker, and Fannie Lou Hamer, they see models of courage and vision. When they learn that their ancestors built nations, created civilizations, and birthed freedom movements, they begin to see that they are part of something much larger than themselves. And, that they, too, can build nations. That awareness fortifies them against a world that too often tries to make them feel small.
How We Can Help
Parents, teachers, coaches, clergy, and community leaders all have roles to play in raising politically aware, emotionally healthy, and spiritually grounded Black children. Here are a few ways to start:
- Tell the truth early and with love. Don’t wait until a crisis to explain racism or injustice. Frame it as part of our collective story—and our ongoing fight for freedom.
- Connect politics to daily life. Show how voting affects school funding, how city planning impacts playgrounds, and how organizing builds safer neighborhoods.
- Celebrate culture and creativity. Balance serious conversations with joy. Incorporate art, music, dance, and storytelling into your discussions. Political consciousness grows stronger in the soil of love and laughter.
- Model courage. Let children see you stand up for what’s right. Kids learn by watching how adults respond to injustice.
- Build community. Surround Black children with affirming peers and elders who remind them that they are never alone in the fight for dignity and justice.
Black childhood should not be defined by struggle, but by strength and possibility. Yes, politics must be part of that experience, but so must laughter, love, and liberation. When we teach Black children how to understand and transform the world, we’re not burdening them down. We’re building them up to imagine and create the joyful, just, and free world they deserve.