To the editor:

This week I had the painful experience of learning that my seven-year-old son is being teased at school because of the color of his skin. In addition to the racist comments, there was a student who refused to touch him for fear of turning brown.

Some people may dismiss this as normal (albeit hurtful) childhood teasing. Neither research nor history would support that claim. For instance, a 2009 study published in the Society for Research in Child Development showed that when children become aware of bias about their own racial or ethnic group, it can affect how they do socially and academically.

When we decided to move to Bainbridge last year, our only hesitation was the island’s lack of diversity. The progressive people we met and our own melting pot of a family convinced us that it would be OK. I’m still sure it will be, but I see now that it is impossible to protect my kids from one inherent truth: racism persists in the U.S. and around the world. And our idyllic island is no exception.

I have been mulling over what could cause the kids of open-minded Bainbridge families to have negative bias of brown skinned people. Are they hearing these things at home? Is it racist undercurrents in popular culture? Or simply a lack of exposure to diversity? Giving the benefit of the doubt to these families, it may be that race is simply the elephant in the room — an uncomfortable topic that most parents happily avoid.

So I have a plea to all parents of Bainbridge: Talk to your kids about race. Make it dinner time conversation. Make sure your children know that brownness is not contagious, ugly, or an indicator of a person’s character or potential. It may not end racial injustice in our society, but it could go a long way to making our community and schools a bit more welcoming to diverse families.

KRISTINE JIMENEZ

Bainbridge Island