Looking Good

Ashley: So have you met Hudson?

Big Kid: Yes, I hab...(thoughtful)

Ashley: Was he nice??

Big Kid: Yep...you know what?

Ashley: What?

Big Kid: He had no hair.

Ashley: No...? (wondering, oh man, is it cancer? why is he seeming weird about this?)

Big Kid: ...and he had brown skin. No hair and brown skin.

Ashley: (waiting, stifling a giggle, glad it's not cancer)

Big Kid: But that's okay. He still looks good. He looks great, actuawy. He's nice too.

Ashley: Well of course. People come in all different shapes and sizes and colors and they all still look good.

Big Kid: Yep. He's my favowit.

Interesting that this struck him so. One of his aunts is black, and I noticed two other black students in his class. We live in a pretty diverse area. I think it's because he was picturing Hudson as being white, and the surprise made him finally notice a difference.

I didn't bother to go there with the "black" label because I know he'd argue that he wasn't black, he was brown and I think I like his simplified description rather than any kind of dividing label. It makes it no different than observing that someone has red hair and freckles (a ginger...did you see that South Park?)

Growing up on an island, we were sheltered from diversity in a MAJOR way. My brother thought our Mexican secretary was black until he was 8, I'm not even kidding.

I love that Big Kid has no idea racism exists or is even a possibility. It makes me feel that if we all made a pact as humans to never mention it ever again, that it wouldn't take that long to get rid of. I know that's wishful thinking, but it does give me hope that it will continue to dilute through the generations and that it could happen one day.