I have a dream...

Dear little blonde girl in Alex's class:

I wonder if your parents have raised you to believe the things you say or if you're just beginning to innocently notice differences in people's appearances. I certainly hope it's the latter. If it is a matter of upbringing, I hope you will find the strength and wisdom to rise above your parents' prejudices and see all people for who they truly are, not just for the color of their skin.

A great man once said, "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 slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little 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.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today."

When Alex came home from school the other night and told me that the girls in the class had created a "club" for themselves, I smiled and told her how I remembered those days. My friends and I made up our own clubs often at that age. As I was lost in the Land of Nostalgia, Alex suddenly snapped me abruptly back to reality when she said, but "L" and "M" aren't allowed to be in it. I immediately asked her why. She told me that you had said they weren't allowed in the club because they had brown skin and it was different and gross. My heart just broke for those two little girls...and for my own daughter, who has never expressed any prejudice against another.

I asked Alex if she thought their skin was different and gross. She told me she thought it was different, but not gross. I reminded her that people shouldn't be judged based on how they look. She replied, "I know but "A" said that they couldn't be and I can't make her." I told her that she was right...she can't make you believe that. But that she can lead by example. I asked her if she really wanted to be in a club that treated other people badly. She said she didn't want to be mean to anyone or hurt anyone's feelings, but didn't know what she could do.

I told Alex that I would like for her to go to school the next day and play with "L" and "M" and come home and tell me something that she liked about each of them. I'm proud to report that Alex did play with those little girls yesterday and told me all about it. She said that "L" is really nice and very shy, so they didn't play much. But she likes her and wants to play with her again. She had a great time playing with "M" yesterday. They pretended to work in a candy factory making all sorts of yummy treats. She's very excited to play with "M" again today. Please don't ruin that for her.

Alex told me that if you ever again tell her that someone should excluded from a group based on their appearance that she would tell you, "that's not nice and I don't play that way." I hope she has the strength to follow through. I believe she does.

I hope Alex helps to open your eyes to how wonderful diversity is. Her father and I made a point of sending her to a preschool that was very culturally diverse. We wanted her to learn from an early age that it's ok that not everyone looks, dresses, or talks the same. Not everyone has the same beliefs. Not everyone has the same abilities. These are important lessons. I hope one day someone takes the time to teach them to you. Maybe it will be my little girl.

~Mom on the Edge