As a Black American living abroad, I’m watching from the outside as my country grapples with civil unrest owing to racism against black people, particularly in the form of police brutality. As protests and riots sweep across the nation on an alarmingly regular basis, threatening both national security and democracy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that racism is America’s problem, until racist rhetoric shows up where I live.
My son is currently reading Harry Potter, a popular choice among the third graders at his Abu Dhabi school. He told me a fellow classmate alerted him to there being profanity in book number three of the series, a revelation that then prompted another student to share that the N-word has meaning in his native language. I was gobsmacked.
That word had not been introduced to my eight-year-old, and the thought of unpacking it – its history, its contentious use throughout pop culture and why it was aimed at him, in particular – gave me anxiety. I wasn’t ready to discuss the complexities of race with my young child, but I knew that I had to because encounters such as these have the potential to shape his identity in a negative way.
What is racial trauma?
Racial trauma is a term used to describe the trauma-like symptoms brought on by experiencing racism. Symptoms can include anxiety, hyper vigilance, bad moods and negative thoughts.
Remind children that their culture makes them special and unique, and our differences are what makes the world beautiful
Dr RJ Verwayne, a clinical psychologist specialising in child and adolescent development, contends that young children are as affected by racism as adults. “It begins with micro aggressions and progresses to overt racism in the absence of adult correction or intervention,” she says.
“Micro aggressions are seemingly harmless assumptions made about a group of people, such as: ‘You’re black, you should be good at basketball.’ Children can feel confused and even angered by such statements.”
How can parents tackle racial trauma?
Parents are the first line of defence when it comes to steering kids in the right direction. “Parents from racial minority groups can prevent such trauma by building self-esteem, which relates to culture and ethnicity. Remind children that their culture makes them special and unique, and our differences are what makes the world beautiful,” says Verwayne.
Diversity is key. It's what shapes society and drives innovation, but Dawn Metcalfe, author of Hard Talk, believes that diversity also makes it difficult for people to communicate effectively.
“The more differences there are between you and me, the more chances there are that I’m going to get it wrong when I speak up and, therefore, I say nothing at all,” she says. “Consequently, we end up in these difficult situations where we don’t talk about race until it’s too late, until we hear a bad word, say.
When you demonstrate kindness, a desire to challenge racism and stand up for any person's right, your child will grow by following your example
“Don’t wait until something dreadful happens to start talking to your kids about race. Start early, often and in an age-appropriate way.”
This advice is not limited to parents in racial minority groups, either. Race is a universal, all-encompassing topic that all children should be able to discuss comfortably.
“The ‘we’re all the same’ view is ineffective and can be dangerous. Differences should be celebrated early on and any instances of micro aggressions or racial inferences must be taken seriously,” Verwayne says.
“We need to be arming kids with the ability to talk about not only race, but also what makes them uncomfortable,” Metcalfe says. “To be able to stand up as an ally as well as a survivor or someone who’s been impacted directly. And to say, no, this isn’t appropriate.”
The power of communication and observation
To prepare for these conversations, Metcalfe suggests that parents remain calm and remember children may not use the appropriate language at first. In those moments, find a way to correct them without making them feel bad, worried or ashamed.
“Be clear that you want to have these conversations because they need to communicate effectively with people from all backgrounds. They need to be able to have difficult conversations and approach difficult issues with bravery, courage and empathy,” she says.
Parents are encouraged to lead by example. “When you demonstrate kindness, a desire to challenge racism and stand up for any person's right, your child will grow by following your example.”
The development of good communication skills and racial tolerance begins at home, but educators have a responsibility to encourage these skills, too.
The role of educators
As Verwayne puts it, children trust educators and view them as experts, and conversations around race can begin as early as primary school. However, just like parents, they may find it difficult.
“Teachers really struggle to discuss race, in my opinion,” says Metcalfe. "White teachers are often scared to talk about it at all because they’re worried, particularly if they work in very diverse schools, that they are going to get themselves into trouble."
The civil rights movement, apartheid, or Gandhi lend themselves to productive discussions that should be encouraged
Daniela Andrade, general manager of Social Educators Consultancy in Dubai, says racism is often a factor of social exclusion in schools and that’s why children need to be educated. “Social education is important for social, cultural and economic development. It helps fight poverty and reduces violence among many other benefits.
“Introducing social education to young children promotes basic principles such as respect, commitment, dialogue, inclusion and participation,” says Andrade. “I believe that if children are encouraged both at home and at school to respect everything and everyone, they will become strong, resilient and empathetic adults.”
Sowing the seeds of tolerance
Sydney Atkins, an educator who lives in the UAE, believes teachers need to have conversations about race in the classroom and that schools can champion cultural sensitivity with a two-pronged approach: developing the right culture and using instructional strategies.
“Developing and nurturing a whole-school culture that celebrates diversity, individuality and inclusivity all the time, is the key. Cultural needs are as important as intellectual, behavioural or social ones,” he says.
“Discussing race in a safe environment and with sensitivity can also help students make emotional connections to curricular content. The civil rights movement, apartheid, or Gandhi’s life story, for example, lend themselves to productive discussions that should be encouraged.”
When this model is followed, students can blossom and eventually become teachers of tolerance themselves.
Start by asking what biases you have and understand that you are not there to tell children what to think
Atkins recalls that some of the best advice he’s heard on the matter came from former students who returned from university in the US to conduct a workshop on cultural sensitivity for ninth graders in Dubai.
They said that it is essential for educators – which could very well include parents – “to know themselves before charting a pathway for students. Start by asking what biases you have and understand that you are not there to tell children what to think, but to give them a skill set that will help them learn how to think about race, in a safe environment.
“That really is the essence of why we do what we do each day. We give children a set of tools and skills, which we hope they will apply to their real-world experiences.”
The First Monday in May
Director: Andrew Rossi
Starring: Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, John Paul Gaultier, Rihanna
Three stars
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
South Africa's T20 squad
Duminy (c), Behardien, Dala, De Villiers, Hendricks, Jonker, Klaasen (wkt), Miller, Morris, Paterson, Phangiso, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Smuts.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The cost of Covid testing around the world
Egypt
Dh514 for citizens; Dh865 for tourists
Information can be found through VFS Global.
Jordan
Dh212
Centres include the Speciality Hospital, which now offers drive-through testing.
Cambodia
Dh478
Travel tests are managed by the Ministry of Health and National Institute of Public Health.
Zanzibar
AED 295
Zanzibar Public Health Emergency Operations Centre, located within the Lumumba Secondary School compound.
Abu Dhabi
Dh85
Abu Dhabi’s Seha has test centres throughout the UAE.
UK
From Dh400
Heathrow Airport now offers drive through and clinic-based testing, starting from Dh400 and up to Dh500 for the PCR test.
Most%20ODI%20hundreds
%3Cp%3E49%20-%20Sachin%20Tendulkar%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E47%20-%20Virat%20Kohli%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E31%20-%20Rohit%20Sharma%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E30%20-%20Ricky%20Ponting%2C%20Australia%2FICC%0D%3Cbr%3E28%20-%20Sanath%20Jayasuriya%2C%20Sri%20Lanka%2FAsia%0D%3Cbr%3E27%20-%20Hashim%20Amla%2C%20South%20Africa%0D%3Cbr%3E25%20-%20AB%20de%20Villiers%2C%20South%20Africa%2FAfrica%0D%3Cbr%3E25%20-%20Chris%20Gayle%2C%20West%20Indies%2FICC%0D%3Cbr%3E25%20-%20Kumar%20Sangakkara%2C%20Sri%20Lanka%2FICC%2FAsia%0D%3Cbr%3E22%20-%20Sourav%20Ganguly%2C%20India%2FAsia%0D%3Cbr%3E22%20-%20Tillakaratne%20Dilshan%2C%20Sri%20Lanka%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 720hp
Torque: 770Nm
Price: Dh1,100,000
On sale: now
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
