Monday, March 21, 2011

The kids have recently discovered "The Cosby Show." You remember them - Cliff, Claire, and their five kids? Two successful black people living a typical family existence...this was my fantasy family when I was growing up. Two of the children had fair skin, the rest, deep brown. It was a periodic topic of discussion amidst my playground friends. How was that possible? It was particularly interesting to a little brown girl growing up in a house with white people.

Fast forward 25 years. We've got a checkerboard of people living under one roof. We've had some interesting discussions about race, with many more to come, I am sure. Here was today's, while watching the Cosbys:
Anna: "Mom, they have a white daughter, too (speaking of fair-skinned Denise)."
Me: "Oh no, honey, she's black. Her parents are black, so she is black. Her skin is just light."
Anna: "Oh. I'm black, too, right?"
Mom: "Yep. You sure are. You have one black parent and one white parent. That means you are a little of both. Just like me."

I was left to wonder: what does this mean to my little blue-eyed daughter? I hope that it will mean the same for her that it has come to mean for me, that people are the sum of their thoughts and actions, not their genetic inheritance. I hope it will mean that she moves through the world with comfort and confidence, happy to meet and experience those that cross her path. Thank you, Cosbys, for the laughs and the continuing education.

4 comments:

  1. You need to read "The Color of Water". It is the story of a guy who grows up in the Bronx (or maybe Queens?) in the 50s and 60s with a black father and a white, Jewish mother. He asks what color God is one day, and his mother answers that He is the color of water. It is a fabulous autobiography.

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  2. As long as she grows up even remotely like her mama, she is going to be amazing!

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  3. I've read it, Faith, twice. She died recently (well, within the last 2 years). Thanks for reading girls! Faith, what's the show or movie you are most excited to share with your bambino?

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  4. It is so funny that you would ask that, because just yesterday I was telling Jon how excited I was to introduce The Bean to great movies and stories and music and books. We were watching, um, I think Popeye at the time.

    I don't know about "most", but I definitely have a list.

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