Colorblind

James came home from school the other day, and as he walked through the front door, said, "Shoot I forgot my hat at school!" "It's on your head," I said. "No, not my hat. The big tall guy's hat." "Oh, you made President Lincoln's hat?" I asked. "Yeah, a big tall one." "President Lincoln's hat is really tall isn't it?" "No, not Lincoln. The big black man's hat!" The big black man? "Oh, Obama?" "No, he's really tall! And he's all black." Not Obama . . . hmmm . . . it's also Black History Month, so I ventured another guess, "Martin Luther King Jr.?" "No. He's really tall!" "Abraham Lincoln?" I try again. "Mom! He's all black!" Okay, I give up. I evidently am out of step with what they're teaching at school. I have no clue who's hat he made! A few minutes later, James goes to his backpack to retrieve the hat-less man. "See, mom? This is the big black man!" Oh . . . the suit not the skin! I smile. I like Abraham Lincoln, no matter what color he was - that goes for his skin too. ********************************************************************************* The Colour Of My Skin. I'm not black and I'm not white, I'm my own colour and that's alright. A colour is something that I cannot change, A colour is something with a very big range. But I'm not black and I'm not white, I'm my own colour and that's alright. Giselle Richelieu aged 9 years. (Originally Published: People in Harmony News Letter Issue 16, August 1997) "None of us is responsible for the complexion of his skin. This fact of nature offers no clue to the character or quality of the person underneath." Anderson, Marian Singer (1897-1993) "Like snowflakes, the human pattern is never cast twice. We are uncommonly and marvelously intricate in thought and action, our problems are most complex and, too often, silently borne." Childress, Alice Writer (1920-1994) "America is woven of many strands. I would recognize them and let it so remain. Our fate is to become one, and yet many. This is not prophecy, but description." Ellison, Ralph Novelist (1914-1994)