This election was extremely emotional ... for many reasons. Yet, the most historically significant reason is that we have an African American leading us.
The verse we studied in my small group at church today was Romans 13:1 - "Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there." (NIV says we are to submit to the governing authorities ... heck, read all the way through verse six - good, challenging stuff)
Shane Claiborne blogged this past year about truly crossing racial divides. After reading that article, I had so much to think about. Do Christ Followers and the church have people in authority that reflect those being served and ministered to?
Which is what makes this election such a big deal.
Wait ... not a big deal ... more like - massive.
I had a moment this weekend that most Caucasian mothers never have to experience. I took my 12-year-old Haitian son to the store with me on a Saturday. I told him that he could hang out at the toy section while I shopped. Yet, I had to remind him of how to respond appropriately to questions, and how he could locate me if he needed to. Why? Because I absolutely know that there is a good possibility that someone might look at my child, and his black skin, and question his motives as he stands alone near the toys.
I know that my daughter stood dumbfounded as another child said they would slam the door and make all of her black skin fall off.
I know that all five of my children searched for a response as another child told them Obama will die like Lincoln - with a bullet to the head.
And these are nice kids. These are my kids' friends. They love my kids, yet they're regurgitating it from somewhere. I know that they don't even understand the magnitude of their words.
Yet, we have reminders like this.
This is still our reality in America. I wish I didn't have to think about race.
HOWEVER, now everyone has to think about it - a lot. I LOVE that news reports involving the First Lady will now include African American hair issues. I LOVE that we'll be looking at dark skin on television over and over and over and over again. I LOVE that younger children will stare at my black children, no longer because they look so strange and foreign, but because they look like the President!
I remember what it was like to hold my first adopted child in my arms and just stare for hours at the stark contrast of our skin tones. I have had friends of many races, but I never dated any of them. I had never been that close - that intimate - with another race. It was so beautiful, but it was definitely different. Something I had not experienced before.
Now, I don't even think about it. White and black skin meshed together while rocking or holding or doing hair ... it's all I know now. I am very excited that more and more people are going to feel more at home in big, beautiful blackness!
"Humanity was born in Africa.
All people, ultimately, are African."
- quote from a plaque at the Apartheid Museum
"Human DNA proves that we are 99.9% the same -
genetically, we're all Africans."
- Bill Nye the Science Guy
(photo by utopiacere)
8 comments:
Raising children of different races or that are biracial does make you think. 2 of my boys are very dark. We don't know what racial mix they are as all the relatives are listed as caucaion but very obviously could not have been. My boys have been called a variety of racial slurrs - nigger, spic. They've had comments about their dark skin. I assure them there are ignorant people everywhere. It is difficult when you live with them and they are faily as you don't think about it any more. Then when someone says something it is a complete surprise. Oh yeah...they do have dark skin. WHY DO PEOPLE FOCUS ON THAT? Strange world.
Being native american and having brown skin I have been discriminated against in all kinds of ways from white people, mexican people, arabic people and the natives themselves.
I guess I can pass for mexican/hispanic because I have been told I am a disgrace to my race by a mexican man for not speaking spanish. That made me laugh. I do speak spanish but I don't like to.
The natives turned against me because I've never lived in the culture and apparently I didn't know my place as a female as well.
Which I guess I can also pass for arabic because they too have told me I don't know my place.
So right now, for me, raising children who look white and are part white is really strange.
On one hand, it's interesting to see the full circle. I mean, my kids have been told that they are white so they should stick with white people. They've been told they are better because they are white, by white people.
But then I hit a brick wall at the school because they cater to hispanics and mexicans. To me it appears that the school administration is more interested in being bilingual than teaching. So my children take a hit there for not knowing spanish even though the other part of their heritage is hispanic.
I've always felt a racial divide, mainly from adults growing up. But I see it a lot more clearly now and it just seems so ridiculous to me. I'm trying to teach my kids not to see color but the person.
What a challenge that is in a world that is afraid of being different.
it's a little shocking and a lot horrible to me that this still goes on.
also, your photo is beautiful.
ive been reading you for some time and never realized that any of your kids were haitian! how many? straight from Haiti or re-adoptions?(u dont have to answer that, i know youre kinda private-but i am curious if youve been to haiti) love, ali
Yup, ali - three adopted (or soon-to-be) children - one African American via domestic adoption and two Haitians coming to us via an adoption disruption (we became connected with them in the process of looking into adopting from Haiti - something we had also considered about six years ago). So, I've yet to get my butt actually into Haiti. Once my kids are healing and feeling safe enough for such an excursion, we'll all get to go together!
I am extremly fair skinned and my husband of 11 years is mexican. I hope we never get blind to the beauty of his dark skin against my white.
My kids do not speak spanish at all yet have had people assume they do. We get a chuckle out of it, especially when I am standing right there and they ask my daughter (in spanish) where her mother is!
Thank you for this post Christine. I am so excited about the fact that something big like the election of Barak Obama has happened in our nation. I thank God that a huge barrier has come down, no matter what people's political and other convictions are. I was first interested in Mr. Obama because he was 'half and half' just like me! Well, not exactly because my skin tone is still mostly 'white' (olive actually, since I favor my Mediterranean father), but I come from two cultures, one American-US and one Italian (mother and father, parents still live in Italy) and b/c of that I have never had 'one country'. My perspective is so different from people here, especially in the south, so I enjoy reading your blog and find you a kindred spirit.
God Bless,
Miriam
Wonderful post Christine.
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