Leicestershire and Southampton City Council suggest Monopoly can teach kids about racial privilege

Children should be playing Monopoly to learn about racial privilege, councils claim.

White players should be given more money, spend less time in jail and also be given a head start on buying property to convey inequality and ‘white supremacy’.

Parents have also been told to avoid singing nursery rhymes such as Baa Baa Black Sheep because they are ‘steeped in white culture’.

The guidance was given in a document called ‘How To Raise Anti-Racist Children’, which was drawn up for Barbie manufacturer Mattel in 2020. The guide, co-authored by a BBC education consultant, has been shared by councils, including Leicestershire County Council and Southampton City Council. Lambeth London Borough Council and the City of London Corporation have also posted the document online, it is reported.

The guidance vows to help parents ‘raise a new generation of allies with the tools needed to facilitate change’. It suggests talking about the issues when children are playing, adding activities such as ‘bike riding, hiking, baking, story reading or playing with figures’.

The guidance says books and dolls representing black people are effective tools and asks parents to examine if they have ever made a racist comment.