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10:41:00 AM EST
Hearing Nothing at the moment.
The Dream
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.' I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."
-- Martin Luther King
My daughter is six, and she doesn't know about racism. She doesn't think of people as black and white; to the extent she talks about it, she mentions "peach" and "tan," and doesn't think of either having any particular significance other than skin tone. She has cousins whose ancestors came to America across a land bridge with Asia 40,000 years ago; she has cousins whose ancestors came in slave ships; she has cousins whose ancestors came across the border from Mexico in the last century; she has cousins whose ancestors came in Dutch trading vessels in the 1640s. They're all simply family to her.
It's essential that Athena knows one day that there are people who to this day judge other people by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. It's essential she know that the same country that holds inspiring ideals of the equality of men also allowed some of those men to own others, much to its enduring shame. It's essential she know that the practical struggle for equal rights for every American is ongoing. She has to know all of this if she's to understand the country in which she lives, the nation of which she is part.
But part of me dreads it. Athena exists today in Martin Luther King's dream of America: There are no races for her save the human one. I'm not in a rush to change that perception. And the part of me that dreads it wishes that I just just skip over all the stupidity and hatred and prejudice that existed and let her keep going in that Kingly dream, none the wiser and none the worse for not knowing. This is one time where "ignorance is bliss" might not be the contemptible lie it usually is.
But I can't do that. Athena is free from prejudice, but, alas, the rest of us are still working on it. I want very much to keep that freedom from prejudice alive in her as she learns about how people have viewed each other -- and continue to view each other here and around the world. This is one of my tasks as a parent, and I can only say that I hope I'm up to it.
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
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Excellent. :-)
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This was a wonderful entry... And I must say that Athena epitomizes what Dr. King had in mind... That ALL people are important and should be judged on their own merits and characters and not on their skin color, religion, sex, etc....
http://journals.aol.com/astaryth/AdventuresofanEclecticMind -
Great entry John. Thank you. And Bless you for being such a good, thoughtful dad. Athena is fortunate indeed.
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Racism is unfortunately alive and rearing its ugly face.
My little family is biracial.
My son's friends are of different races also.
We have always been more interested in the soul of the people in our lives than by any exterior trappings... so we were deeply wounded when we encountered racism in our community.
Here is the story of my little boy's first day of school and how racism made itself known to us:
http://journals.aol.com/lrttklly/FindingaVoice/entries/762
Loretta
1/19/05 1:26 PM