Martin Luther King Jr. Day. President Barack Obama's inauguration. The 150 anniversary of the Dakota War in Minnesota. These are all conversations I want to have with my children, and I'm trying to find ways to do it in the most age appropriate way possible.
I had MLK Day off, and wanted to do a couple activities with my children to really talk about him and how important he was for not only this country, but for my family specifically. We read this great book and we really talked about it. I explained how important this man is and how he did so much to get us to where we currently are. Sure, I over simplified. A lot. I told Nur and TT that this man wanted everyone to be judged fairly, and that he said that no matter what we look like, we should only be judged by how nice we are. The kids seemed to grasp that as much as any 3 and 2 year old can grasp that concept. We also listened and watched his "I Had A Dream" speech during the march on Washington. We also did a craft project and made the freedom bell with MLK Jr's picture on it. I think this was enough for this year. They can only grasp so much. I understand that. But I do often wonder about how to teach about racial issues to my kids. And do I teach it to them differently because I'm raising one African child and one. . . wait? One half African child.
Racial issues in this country are complex. Not only are the issues complex, but they are embarrassing. To me, it's unfathomable that we judge people based on their looks. I really can't fathom that we think differently of people because of the color of their skin. I also don't get why we limit freedoms of those with a different sexual orientation. I flat out just don't understand these things. I don't get hatred and anger, and all I can say is that people who are so cruel and unjust to others must just have a lot of fear in their life. That's the only explanation I can think of.
I do feel like raising Nur and TT, I do have a greater responsibility to teach these serious issues than average people. Look. . . I'm a white girl from small town USA. I have white privilege, and I will never understand what it feels like to be watched a little more closely in a store for fear of shoplifting. Or people who hold their purses a little tighter as an African American walks by. I'll never know what it's like to be profiled everytime I travel, although with my last name, I admit, it's happened to me once or twice. I will never KNOW what it's like to be an African American, but my children, Nur especially, will know what that feels like, and it's my responsibility as his mother to understand these complex issues as much as I possibly can. Being part of a diverse family doesn't even necessarily mean that I understand racism more than the average white person. But I do feel that I have a greater responsibility because of my diverse family to keep these issues on the table always, and to talk about them constantly.
Happy Tuesday! (And I hope my readers in MN are staying warm in these sub zero temps!)
3 comments:
Hope you guys had a great day! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it when Momma's teach their children about the amazing people that changed the course of our history! Your little guy is getting so big!!
Good for you!! I guess one of the uncertainties I have is how to handle the issue without drawing attention to what the color of a person's skin is. Obviously I know it is naive to think my child will grow up completely color blind, but I also would love for the color of someone's skin to be as secondary of an issue as possible when my daughters think or talk about someone. Does that make sense? I'd love for them to be just as likely to say "you know, the boy in my class with the blond hair" as they would say "the girl with the dark skin." Lots of challenges to deal with but hopefully we'll all help contribute to raising a generation where the color of skin is truly not how we are judged.
I love that you did crafts to go along with the day. What a great idea!!
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