My four year old was about to brush his teeth before school last Friday. He was holding an Obama refrigerator magnet in his hand, because he does random things like swipe refrigerator magnets off the fridge en route to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He stood in front of the sink and read it:
"Ba-rack O-ba-ma 44th Pre-si-dent Of The U-ni-ted States Of A-mer-i-ca."
Then, right there at the bathroom sink, we had the conversation of conversations.
Zack: 44th? But wasn't he the first President?
Me: He's your first president. But The United States has been around for a long time, and there were 43 presidents before him. He is the first president that looks like you.
Zack: Because he has brown skin? And hair like me?
Me: Yes.
Zack: All the other presidents had white skin?
Me: Yes.
Zack: But then Martin Luther King, Jr. went to the White House and told all the people that it wasn't fair and it doesn't matter what color your skin is, that everybody can be everything?
Me: Yes, Zack! That's exactly what happened.
After he finished brushing his teeth, and I made sure his dad, who was putting his shoes on just outside the door had overheard us, we danced around to our made-up song that goes, "My president is brown like meeeeeee, and got hair like meeeeeee." Repeat.
How's that for a way for a little black, American boy to start his day?
This actually made me tear up. What a fundamentally new and different reality he lives in! And how fabulous is that?!
Posted by: Adriane | February 2013 at 09:31 AM
Pretty damn fabulous, Adriane.
Posted by: Quel | February 2013 at 12:13 AM