Early childhood—the period spanning the first years of life—is when the foundations of human cognitive, emotional, and social development are laid. However, in a structurally unequal society, the bodies and subjectivities of Black children are affected from day care onwards by everyday practices of differentiation, neglect, and racialization. How can we ensure a healthy future without confronting racism at the root of human growth?
THE TRAJECTORY OF AMMA PSIQUE E NEGRITUDE
Founded in 1995 by Black women psychologists, AMMA Psique e Negritude is a civil society organization renowned as a benchmark in researching and addressing the psychological and subjective impacts of racism. With nearly three decades of uninterrupted work, the organization focuses on the psychological and political deconstruction of race and gender discrimination, operating as a training, research, and resource center in Brazil.
The work of the AMMA Institute highlights that anti-racist care in early childhood is essential to prevent psychological suffering and guarantee a full and healthy development for all children. Welcoming infants and young children in their wholeness requires not only emotional sensitivity, but also scientific grounding and ethical commitment from educational and healthcare institutions.
“The development of self-esteem and self-concept occurs during the first years of life, driven by how a child is treated by their family and in relationships across various social environments. Ensuring healthy racial relations during childhood is an urgent and collective duty.”
THE URGENCY OF AN ANTI-RACIST LENS ON CHILDHOOD
Recent studies in social psychology and early childhood education demonstrate that children between 8 months and 3 years old already begin to perceive physical differences between themselves and their peers. It is during this crucial phase that adult gazes, affectionate gestures, attentiveness, and access to toys shape a child’s sense of belonging and social value.
Often in subtle or unintentional ways, institutional practices in daycares and preschools perpetuate erasure and rejection. From preferential physical affection to the hypersexualization and premature adultification of Black boys and girls, racism functions by dehumanizing young bodies and leaving deep marks on mental health.
RESEARCH & DIAGNOSIS HIGHLIGHTS:
This work stems from the project “Ethnic-Racial Relations and Early Childhood: Psychosocial, Educational, and Cultural Aspects”, coordinated by AMMA in partnership with six university research groups across various regions of Brazil (UFOPA, UFSCar, UNILAB, UFMA, UNICAMP, and AMMA). The investigation combines ethnomethodologies, scoping reviews, and field studies listening directly to children, their families, as well as Quilombola and immigrant communities.
DISCOVER THE BOOK: “EARLY CHILDHOOD AND ETHNIC-RACIAL RELATIONS”
To fill the gap in scientific literature and offer practical guidance for educators, psychologists, public policymakers, and families, the AMMA Institute and Editora Dandara have launched the book and e-book “Early Childhood and Ethnic-Racial Relations” (edited by Clélia Prestes, Márcio Farias, and Marcos Amaral).
Organized into two major theoretical and empirical sections, the publication offers deep and transformative insights:
- Part I – Frameworks on Childhoods: Theoretical and conceptual debates covering psychological violence in daycare settings, the role of toys and African-matrix artifacts in challenging whiteness, critiques of medical-colonial models, and Black children’s right to happiness and affection.
- Part II – Research On/With Children: Fieldwork experiences and case studies, including Project Kiriku and the Afrotecas in Santarém (PA), Itinerant Toy Libraries in São Francisco do Conde (BA), studies on childhood in Quilombola communities in Maranhão, and the development of children within the Haitian diaspora in Brazil.
The publication provides crucial tools for effectively implementing Law 10.639/03 starting in early childhood education, equipping academics and frontline professionals to build genuinely liberating and humanizing pedagogies.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL E-BOOK FOR FREE
Deepen your knowledge and transform your educational and caregiving practices. Access the complete material and strengthen the fight for an anti-racist childhood. Access link: https://www.ammapsique.org.br
BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION:
PRESTES, Clélia; FARIAS, Márcio; AMARAL, Marcos (Eds.). Primeira infância e relações étnico-raciais [Early childhood and ethnic-racial relations]. São Paulo: Editora Dandara; Instituto AMMA Psique e Negritude, 2024. 336 p.