But what your child needs from you is reassurance that she is a good person and that people who call her such names are not nice people. At the same time, she needs to know that all people of that particular group don't act this way, and that there are good and bad people of all ethnic groups and races. And it's important to stress that talking out a problem is always the thing to try first. Then, if a similar incident occurs again, they will be better able to deal with it. Whatever the problem, however, parents of color need to ensure that their children develop coping mechanisms that don't compromise their children's dignity.
White parents face some different issues in raising their children to be free of prejudice.
The realization that their race protects them from directly experiencing most kinds of prejudice will call for some different responses. And so for white parents, taking a careful look at their own feelings about other ethnic and racial groups is a most important first step in helping their children to grow up without prejudice. We must not, of course, speak or act in prejudicial ways. But that's not enough by itself. Children can absorb prejudices from the world around them, or simply grow up without knowing anything about other racial groups.