What do you do when you hear your little one exclaim: “Let’s play ‘slaves’?”
“Let’s play slaves,” my oldest said to my youngest. I could hear them in the other room.
“I’ll be the slave and you be my owner.” she said to her.
I interjected from the other room (trying to be casual). “What are slaves?” I asked.
“A long time ago black people were taken and owned by white people. The white people made them work for them.”
“Where did you hear that?” I asked.
“At school, we learned about it today at school.” She said.
“And how do you feel about that?” I asked. She looked at me with a blank, yet uncomfortable stare. I reiterated, “How do you feel about white people owning black people, and I am white?” Read more…
CNN reports: A black First Family changes everything
Jamaal Young was watching Barack Obama and his family greet an ecstatic crowd in Chicago, Illinois, on Election Night when he realized that something seemed wrong.
President Obama and his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, Malia and Sasha, greet the nation.
Obama didn’t shout at his wife, Michelle, to shut up. The first lady didn’t roll her eyes and tell Obama to act like a man. No laugh track kicked in, no one danced, and no police sirens wailed in the background.
Young had tuned in to celebrate the election of the nation’s first African-American president. But he realized that he was witnessing another historic first. A black family was being featured as the first family, not the “problem family” or the “funny family.” Read more…
Another parenting blog it’s okay to “cheat” with
I’m woefully late in sharing this link. Anti-Racist Parent columnist Deesha Philyaw has a delightful new(ish) blog, Co-Parenting 101:
In the wake of our divorce and despite the problems that ended our marriage, we have managed to establish a successful, congenial co-parenting relationship which allows our children to thrive and which causes those who know us to ask, “How in the world do you do it?”
As a stepmom, who is part of a parenting team, I appreciate the blog’s insight. In fact, there is a great fresh post about being “the other woman” in a child’s life. Check out Deesha’s other venture.
In regards to the CNN article… are the Obama’s really the first black family to be featured positively in main stream media? I don’t watch a lot of tv, but is it wrong to think that the Cosby’s were positive role models? Has there not been any more shows that feature black families in a good light? (Sincere question… I stopped watching a lot of tv when I was a kid and the Cosby’s were popular then, so I really don’t know.)
Jennifer, yes I would consider the Cosbys a positive portrayal of African American families, but they are notable exceptions. More importantly, they are fictional. Real, functional black families are even more overlooked in mainstream news than pretend ones are by the entertainment industry.
Thanks for clarifying. May I say though… on those rare occasions that I watch the news, all of the families depicted seem pretty crazy and dysfunctional, regardless of race.
Thanks for the blog-love, Tami!
Thanks for highlighting Co-Parenting 101. I also find it to be a great resource for support in my efforts to navigate these waters with my son’s father.