Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Dream--Described

Tonight, it's not about MY dreams but about The Dream.


*****

Tuesday night at dinner, I was talking to Lynda, discussing how I expected to work this coming Monday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) to help wrap up a work project that is coming (partially) to a close next week. I also noted that I would probably be working late next Tuesday to get final items finished.

But when I mentioned Martin Luther King, Jr., Grace piped up: "I've heard of him! I've heard of Martha Louffa King! I read a book about him at school and it said that without him my friend D___ would go to a different school than me!"

She said this with frank disbelief in her voice, as if she simply could not conceive of a reason why she and her friend D____ would be in different schools for any reason.

Sarah asked if Grace had ever heard of Rosa Parks. (Grace had not.) Sarah then explained that one day Rosa Parks got on the bus and later a white man told her to get up but since she was tired she refused to get up and go to the back. And she got thrown in jail for it. And Sarah said, "And he told people not to fight back but do be peaceful!"

I asked Grace if she understood WHY Martin Luther King, Jr. worked so hard. (She didn't know.) I told her that it was because he and Rosa Parks believed that they didn't think they were any different than anyone else because of their skin color and so they should not be treated any differently.

Sarah chimed in again and said not only that, but a long time ago black people were slaves and they had to do what white people said and if they refused then they were whipped! (She said this with frank disbelief in her voice.) Grace couldn't believe this bit of news.

At the end of our conversation Grace said: "I'm SO GLAD that Martha Louffa King worked SO HARD, because I WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT if D____ couldn't go to MY SCHOOL!!!"

In statements like these, multiplied by the thousands over countless families, can we someday achieve a post-racial world.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I just love it!!! Mom