Kobi has a new friend in the neighborhood. He is a real sweet boy. Kobi came up to me today while I was making breakfast and said "Mom can I tell you something?"
I said, "Yes."
He said, "Who was that lady that fought for black people so they would be free?"
I said, "The one that wanted to sit in the front of the bus? Rosa Parks?"
He said, "No."
I said, "Martin Luther King, Jr.?"
He said, "Yes."
I said, "Well, he is a man."
Kobi said, "Oh. Well, David's Dad won't let David watch shows with black people. He can only watch That's so Raven."
I said, "How do you feel about that?"
He said, "I thought that kind of stuff was over a long time ago. I guess I am not sure what I feel." And he shrugged his shoulders.
I said, "Well, I guess some people still do not think nicely. It's not OK to watch bad shows that have bad words or bad things in it, but that does not matter if they are black, white, asian, or whatever color. So it is not nice to tell your kids that they can't watch something just because of the color of someone's skin. We can't change the way his Dad thinks, but I can teach you what is right and what is not."
We kept talking from there. It is sad to know that there are many people with racial biases still. I just wanted to keep Kobi from not having to deal with it as long as possible. Kids are so cute. They don't see race. Everyone is their friend. I wish the rest of the work thought that way instead of changing the innocence of children.
5 comments:
whoa! this is shocking isn't it?
you're such a good mom to teach him whats right and not just lash back at the other kid's ignorant dad. Im really really not looking forward to dealing with that kind of thinking if we end up moving to Atalnta. I don't want to have to explain racism to my little ones already.
I can't believe how ignorant some people can be. I think a lot of people in America are still racist. It's too bad.
That is one of my biggest issues! I can't stand the ignorant racists. It is so hard to believe that after everything and everyone that have fought so hard, it is still so widespread.
Just be happy that you and your children are apart of the solution and not the problem!
I sooo agree with you all. It's kind of funny/sad that some people do not see it (like K.C.), but me not being white experienced some things growing up. I am not surprised that some people are still very ignorant. I wanted to wait as long as possible in explaining racism to my children. When they are so young, it's so cute how they do not see color. I did not really even notice a separation in color until I moved to Las Vegas when I was 12. I could not understand why the Asians stuck together, the Hispanics stuck together, etc. It was quite a shock to me coming from a small town in N.M. where I thought everyone was Mexican, including myself! :)
Billy thought that he was black when he was a little boy! Funny how we see ourselves so different then how others see us.
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