Today before school, my twelve year old...
...saw the story about Trayvon. She turned to me, put her hands on her hips and said
in a very angry voice, "What is going on? I thought our country was through with racism?"
My daughter has learned a great deal about civil-rights history--slavery, segregation, Rosa
Parks and so many other pertinent topics that demonstrate how far we've come.
We've had many discussions about how things used to be--and we've all had tears in our eyes--as
we try to come to terms with it all.
When she discovered this morning--that there are *actually* people out there who would think
negatively of anyone because of how they look, she said, "But mom. It's just the color of their
skin. What does it matter?"
I told her that human beings still have much progress to be made.
She left for school and I was really sad that she is learning that not everyone is free of bigotry--and
that some people actually do judge people based on the color of their skin.
Then, I reminded myself that my daughter is nearly oblivious to racism. She can't even fathom judging
someone based on their ethnicity, or how they look or their heritage. She finds it odd and she recoils
at the thought. I think that's a good thing. I know many other parents out there are like me. They
maybe grew up during times when our country was more racist than it is now. I know my parents
were racist. However, my child will never experience that.
For that, I am happy. And even though humanity has a long way to go--I think things do generally improve with
each generation. It's a sad time in America, as we reflect on the murder of Trayvon--but I do have
hope that in the not-too-distant future--attitudes will continue to change until there are no more tragic
Trayvon stories that are discussed on early-morning news programs.
= new reply since forum marked as read
hugs to both you and your daughter 
We are definitely proud of her. She is a natural leader and I am so proud
to be her mother.
