A new short film called Dear White Parents wants white parents to raise a generation of Anti-Racist children to lessen the burden of black parents.
The three-minute film follows four white families as they discuss racism with their children. Directed by Academy Award nominee Kevin Wilson, Jr., the interspersed scenes included narration from Ronda Taylor Bullock, Ph.D., a black anti-racism educator.
The film is part of a campaign created by marketing collective IPG DXTRA in conjunction with We Are, an anti-racism education non-profit, the Ad Council, and the Anti-Defamation League.
The campaign’s ad will air in regional TV markets across America. The video will also be promoted on digital and social media platforms. The campaign includes discussion prompts created by the ADL as well as materials to guide parents’ conversations about race with their children.
“The Dear White Parents creators want white parents to play a central role in raising a generation of anti-racist white kids, and along the way, hopefully, lessen the burdens that Black families and families of color have been shouldering,” says Parents. The campaign includes discussion prompts and materials
Parents also says that “reducing and addressing the microaggressions that young children regularly utter without even realizing it — like asking whether a child’s dark skin is ‘dirty,’ for example — is a real benefit for the kids who are targeted by them.”
Margenett Moore-Roberts, IPG DXTRA’s chief inclusion and diversity officer, said the Dear White Parents campaign was created after the appearance of online videos of black parents having “The Talk” about race and police interactions with their children. These types of videos gained attention during the summer of 2020, during a period of widespread protests following George Floyd’s death.
“I thought we really need to flip this because what if we could help more white families discuss race with their children early and often, when they’re very young?” Moore-Roberts said. “Could that change the 400-year-old trajectory of racism? Could we eliminate the need for Black families to teach their young children how to deal with racism in our society?”
According to a press release, “a multi-disciplinary team from across several IPG DXTRA agencies collaborated over the course of several months to create the platform. The collective included members from: The Brooklyn Brothers, strategic and creative lead, film production; Golin, integrated communications, content development, earned and social media; Hugo & Cat, website development; Resolute Digital, paid media; R&CPMK, celebrity partnerships, influencer engagement and talent; and Weber Shandwick, content development and creative consultation.”
The campaign has been developed over the last 15 months.
