Frequently Asked Questions

Story Starters is for families who want to talk about race and racism in their homes and in their communities and want to meet other families doing the same. Story Starters believes that in our multicultural world, discussions on race go far beyond black and white, and even the most seasoned professional, regardless of background, can feel the challenge of engaging with their children on issues of race and ethnicity. Many of us are looking for support and connection around talking with our kids. Story Starters wants to give parents the tools, support, and community to build family habits around discussing race, racism, and social justice. We imagine that through these conversations and relationships our families will want to act in their communities to stand up and speak out when they see and experience racism. As white women, Ellie and Joslyne understand and acknowledge our limitations in leading a mulit-racial group. We are currently asking questions and building community with other groups and people fighting for racial justice in the boston area. Research and community connections will help us see where Story Starters and our leadership can add the greatest value to the web of people and organizations fighting for racial equity. We hope to be able to answer more fully the question about who our program is for by early 2019. If you have ideas or insight to share, please email us!

Great question. And we have answers. So many answers, in fact, that we can't fit them all on this page. Check out our research page (javascript:void(0))for more information. A few reasons why it's important to talk about race include: - Our race is part of our identity; race makes up part of who we are. Talking about race lets us acknowledge our full selves and the full selves of others. - Exploring our differences can be a point of connection and can ultimately bring us closer as individuals and as a community. - If we aren't talking about race, it's likely we aren't talking about racism. And if we aren't talking about racism, we can't act to change its harmful impacts.

Many of us (especially those of us who identify as white) have been taught not to see color. We’ve been told that to see race is wrong and shameful. We’ve been told that somehow seeing race is, in fact, racist. Although these lessons may have been borne from good intentions, not seeing race is harmful to all of us - people of color and white people alike. If we can’t see race, we can’t see racism. If we aren’t able to identify racism then we aren’t able to stand up and act against it. You can look on our What We Know (javascript:void(0))page for more information on color blindness.age for more information on color blindness.

Books often offer a fun and connective time for parents and kids. Books allow us to connect across boundaries. Books allow us to investigate the world and take in multiple perspectives. Books build our moral imagination and inspire us to be an active force in the world. Books have transformative value - little examples can make a big difference in what we see, how we see it, and, ultimately, how we treat one another.

Our program is funded through: • An online fundraiser (https://www.flipcause.com/secure/cause_pdetails/NTAxNjg=)in which we raised over $15k from over 140 supporters. • Individual donations from participating families and other supporters. • A donationfrom the Ben & Jerry's Foundation.(https://benandjerrysfoundation.org/) • The co-directors (javascript:void(0))are currently donating their time to launching the organization. If you would like to support Story Starters and its growth, consider making a tax-deductable donation, on our Donate (javascript:void(0))page.