I was raised in post WW2 in a mixed community with the apparent level of poverty was not so easy to tell. Very young, I had several black friends among a small group of friends.
I don't quite recall how old I was (perhaps 5 or 6?) when I asked my mother why MacArthur P was a different color. I recall well, my mother's rather casual response. It means his ancestors came from a different place than ours - came her response.
That answer satisfied my question.
That wise comment was not all that was necessary, I suppose, but Neve in my house do I recall race needing to be discussed - save some supportive comments regarding civil rights issues and action in the news.
I suppose I morphed in and out of different views of it all as social pressures (white group pressures) play those tunes. But, as I matured, I was able to be quite comfortable on the supportive side of equality under the law - and all that meant - for all.
From my own experiences, I can't think of a better way for parents to approach the "race" issue than as my parents did. But I'd add, today, that there are people who are making too much our of too little for political power issues.
I'd tell my child today, that all that matters among people who have different ancestry is to trust our constitutions essence of judging each individual by what he/she does and not by groups.
I was raised in post WW2 in a mixed community with the apparent level of poverty was not so easy to tell. Very young, I had several black friends among a small group of friends.
I don't quite recall how old I was (perhaps 5 or 6?) when I asked my mother why MacArthur P was a different color. I recall well, my mother's rather casual response. It means his ancestors came from a different place than ours - came her response.
That answer satisfied my question.
That wise comment was not all that was necessary, I suppose, but Neve in my house do I recall race needing to be discussed - save some supportive comments regarding civil rights issues and action in the news.
I suppose I morphed in and out of different views of it all as social pressures (white group pressures) play those tunes. But, as I matured, I was able to be quite comfortable on the supportive side of equality under the law - and all that meant - for all.
From my own experiences, I can't think of a better way for parents to approach the "race" issue than as my parents did. But I'd add, today, that there are people who are making too much our of too little for political power issues.
I'd tell my child today, that all that matters among people who have different ancestry is to trust our constitutions essence of judging each individual by what he/she does and not by groups.