A story about racial perspectives

[LittleApple81]

A few years back when my daughter was 8, she came home and she was all excited because she had two boys named Charlie that really liked her: her best friend since birth and a kid at school. We went to see her play soccer that weekend and we saw the Charlie from school. And he happened to be black. At dinner that night, I asked her how come she did not comment before that this kid was black. And she asked the obvious question: “What does that have to do with anything?” Isn’t that wonderful? That is what I think Obama voters say about his running for president. He is such a great American!

[zbdent]

1. similar situation

I have a niece who had chosen law as her path. I asked a co-worker if she could talk with her (the lawyer) for some tips and such.

The co-worker agreed. The day came, and my niece had her "interview" (16 years old at the time).

After we were heading home, my niece said, "Why didn't you tell me she was black?"

I asked, "Did it matter?"

She said, "No ..."

Frankly, it never occurred to me that I should mention it.

[Thirtieschild]

2. I've told this story before but I think it's worth repeating.

When my granddaughters were five and six I was driving with them down Ponce (a main artery in Atlanta) and pointed out that the cross streets all changed names - Monroe became Boulevard, Briarcliff became Moreland, etc. I explained that the names changed because at one time black people lived on one side of Ponce and white people lived on the other and the whites didn't want the same street names. The five-year-old (a strawberry blonde with a redhead's complexion) pondered this, then asked, "But where did all the tan people live?" She had absolutely NO concept of race. Still doesn't. The girls, now 19 and 20, are in college and passionate Obama supporters.

[treestar]

3. Kids are the best - they are never racists - it is taught

My (white) nephews said one of his friends was "brown." He has no idea of race, was about five and just saying a fact that he observed but made no difference to him.