I did something extremely silly and masochistic this morning.
I chaperoned a school field trip. Wow it's been a long time since I've been on a school bus.
However, on that bus with 20 kids I noticed something. If I laid good money down, I'd guess between those 20 kids and their origins every continent except for Australia and Antarctica would be represented.
Seriously, every natural skin, hair, and eye color available made it onto that bus.
I sat behind daughter-the-younger and her seatmate. Daughter-the-younger bears round green eyes, brown hair, and freckled skin. Her seatmate? Almond-shaped brown eyes, latte-colored skin, and dark brown hair. I've heard tons about this girl before, but never once had I seen her and never once was I given any description other than "she's my friend".
These two girls are 5 and 6. My first introduction to race occurred at that age, when another kid asked me if I was white or not. These kids don't even know what that means.
Some would say, well sure the kids aren't racist. They've grown up with quotas and integration. They've been "taught" tolerance by the public school system, and school boundaries have forced their racist parents to deal with other races in the classroom.
Uh, no.
The school in question is a charter school with 75 students between Kindergarten and 12th grade. The 20 kids? The combination of K-3rd grade and 2 high-school students taking pictures for the yearbook.
No quotas. No integration. Open enrollment.
All of the kids attending this school? Their parents CHOSE to send them there.
Their parents arrange playdates. Volunteer together. Host mixed-race sleepovers.
AND NOBODY EVEN THINKS TWICE ABOUT IT.
The high school kids? Two girls, one African-American, one Mexican-American. Both ALL-American. Both conspiring and talking about boys together in the front seat.
We didn't need to elect a black president to make this country "post-racial". WE WERE ALREADY THERE.
These kids didn't sign themselves up for this school. These kids don't have their friends over without the permission of their parents.
My generation, the generation before me, and the generations before them ARE POST-RACIAL AMERICA.
Now can we stop hearing about how supposedly racist we all are?
Mel
