Once upon a time, there was a kid named August.  August was pretty cool and liked to say hi to people when they went on walks.

Hi! I can't wait for our sleepover next week!

Me neither!

One day when August was taking a walk in their neighborhood, they saw a black man they had never seen before.  August usually said hi to people even if they did not know them, but, for some reason, they felt a little scared. 

August decided to cross the street just in case, but when he got home, they asked their mom about it.

I saw a new person today, but I got scared and crossed the street.  I don't know why I was scared, Mama.

Was there anything different about this person that made you scared?

August tried to remember the person they saw.  They couldn't think of anything important that might have scared them, so they described the person to their mom.

It was a tall man with a red shirt and black shorts.  His skin was dark and he had really curly hair.  I liked his hair. 

Have you seen anyone who looks similar to that man before?

August stopped to think again.  They had never seen anyone who had darker skin than them.  They still really liked the man's hair, though. 

Did the man do anything that scared you?

No... He was taking a walk just like me!

August's mom knew what might have caused them to get scared.

Sweetie, there is something that I want to teach you about.  It's called bias.  Everyone has biases.  Biases are when someone thinks a certain way about something even if nothing has happened to make them think that way.  

Do you think I had biases today when I went on my walk?

August and their mom talked about how bias could have been what scared them and how biases can be dangerous.

When you see something unfamiliar, your brain sends you a message to be scared.  This is to keep you safe!  Sometimes your body is too good at this and sends messages when it doesn't need to.  This can lead to people being treated badly for no reason. You have never seen someone with darker skin and that awesome curly hair.  Could your brain have been sending messages when it didn't need to?

I think that might be it, Mama.  I don't want my brain to send messages when it doesn't need to, though.  How can I fix that?

August and their mom brainstormed ideas about how to make their brain only send messages when it needed to.  One idea that August thought of was saying hi to a person that looks different than them the next time they see one.

The next day, August did just that. 

Hi!

Hey there, kiddo!

And again the next day.  And the day after that.

Hi!

How are you, today?!

One day August was walking home from school with a friend when they saw a black man walking in their direction.

We should cross the street.

No, it's ok! Let me explain. 

This began August's lifelong work of advocacy.  Advocacy is when someone who has power helps someone who doesn't.