Last year was the first year my oldest daughter learned about the great accomplishments of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. She came home so jazzed to share with me what he did to change the culture of our great nation. She said:
“Mom, I am so glad Dr. King did what he did. Because if it wasn’t for him, you and I wouldn’t be together!”
I said, “What do you mean sweetheart?”
“You know, Mom… Because I’m black and you’re white!”
I laughed out loud!! Surely she knows that I am black! Then I got a little mad!
“I’m black, Matea! Just like you!”
“No you’re not, Mom. You are white!”
Immediately my PTSD kicked in with flashbacks growing up. When I was too white for my black friends and not white enough to be invited to my white friends’ birthday parties. Of how real this day was to my father, who was old enough to march with Dr. King and drink from a separate water fountain. You see, being black in America is super complicated! Some could argue that not much has changed since Dr. King so bravely organized and catalyzed change in America.
But then I took a deep breath… and reflected… The sheer fact that my 9 year old doesn’t understand what makes someone “Black” in a cultural sense tells me that indeed Dr. King… is winning! It is my prayer that on this day we reflect on how far we have come as a nation and also how far we still need to go!
But for now, the innocence of my 9 year old is enough to make this mom, AND her black ancestors, super PROUD!
Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, friends!
