When our son was an infant, my husband and I chose a childcare center that was both income and racially diverse. We were aware of our privileges, and we wanted to ensure his formative year's involved positive experiences with classmates with different backgrounds. However, when we moved, those options in our small Indiana town for elementary school are virtually nonexistent (Indiana, 83.59% White, 9.33% Black, 2.18% Asian, and 2.45% two or more races). While we continue to have conversations at home, I know it's not enough to undo the systemic racist messages he undoubtedly encounters through American culture.I knew that as the Black Lives Matters protests began to sweep our nation, I would take him to one. However, as someone who closely follows the public health industry, I was also aware of the risk. I wanted the choice to be natural, but honestly, I wrestled with my decision for days and even minutes before we left for the protest. While contemplating how to enrage my son beyond conversation, I started researching ways to protest with children safely. Below is a summary of what I found and a few tips I picked up from our experience. 

  1. Wear a face mask. The CDC recommends cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing measures are challenging to maintain (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). It was a hot day when we attended the protest, and it was challenging for my son to understand the importance of a mask. In these moments, we moved to shaded, less populated areas of the protest to safely take a break. In large cities where tear gas is a risk, public health officials recommend eye masks. Tear gas creates an environment where people start wiping their eyes and nose. 

  2.      It also can irritate lower airways, causing individuals who may get infected not to handle the virus well (Ghose, 2020). My favorite explanation of the importance of facemasks is a video produced by the Michigan School of Public Health. You can find that video here. 

  3. Maintain social distance before, during, and after the protest: While I prepared myself and my son to maintain distance during the rally, I wasn't prepared for our arrival or departure to be so crowded. In hindsight, I wish I had arrived earlier and also waited longer to leave when the area was not so crowded. Because of this, we limited our exposure around others for the next two weeks, and when possible, we stayed outdoors. Maintaining distance significantly reduces the chance that an infected person will spread the coronavirus to others (Godoy, 2020)

  4. Bring hand sanitizer: While it may seem unnecessary to carry it, please consider my experience mentioned above where handrails were necessary for my son to walk comfortably at one point. It was great to have hand sanitizer available immediately. 

  5. Wash your hands and change as soon as you get home. Handwashing is still the most effective way to protect yourself and your family from getting sick (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Also, if you have a cloth face mask, don't forget to wash that as well. We also used Lysol on the door handle I opened once we arrived home. 

The Black Lives Matter movement is necessary, and COVID-19 is still a threat, I hope the steps above encourage you to support the movement safely.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, May 22). About Cloth Face Coverings. Retrieved from About Cloth Face Covering: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020, April 2). Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives. Retrieved from When and How to Wash Your Hands: https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Indiana. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/IN

Ghose, T. (2020, June 3). You attended a protest during a pandemic. Now what? Retrieved from LiveScience: https://www.livescience.com/george-floyd-protests-coronavirus-safety.html

Godoy, M. (2020, June 10). Protesting? Here's How to Help Keep Your Family Safe from COVID-19 When You Go Home. Retrieved from NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/06/10/874021507/protesting-heres-how-to-help-keep-your-family-safe-from-covid-19-when-you-go-hom

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