Race Matters

[dyvinesweetness]

I remember when I was about 7 years old I was coloring in a coloring book. I wanted to color one of the pictures to look like me. Seeing as how I knew I was a Black little girl, I picked up a black crayon and began coloring. Instantly it felt weird, but I kept doing it. When it was done it looked SO odd to me. I couldn't reconcile why I was Black

Comments

[d_klein]

Going to downtown Detroit. It's called culture shock- when you're surrounded by a completely different people and culture. It can be intimidating for anyone at first.

I got used to it.

[richirch2]

Are you white?

[d_klein]

Very. haha

[toodani]

i was in 2nd grade, or somewhere close. and i had a pretty good friend who was having a sleepover birthday. and i didn't get invited. she told me.. she couldn't invite me because her grandfather didn't like black people.

Now that might not be my first memory of being black.. but it's my first memory of the consequence of being black.

[preci0us]

Funny, thing with me. I always thought and I was black. Always. Never doubted it. Wasn't an issue. It was when I started elementary school and because I was light and had curly hair, and the kids started teasing me and calling me "white girl" that I questioned anything

[ranata]

I never wanted black barbie dolls, always white. I'm not yellow skinned and I'm not dark skinned. The black barbies didn't look like me. Neither did the white ones but they were close enough. I hated how dark they made them and that terrible bright pink lipstick that didn't complement the skin color. I had one black doll when I was in 2nd grade and it was a black cabbage patch kid. it was a darkskinned doll and everything but I loved it. But I remember not wanting black dolls. My parents and my godparents (the ones that bought most of my fancy toys) never tried to buy me any either. LOL. That's one of my early memories about distinguishing between race.

Heh.

[i_dreamed_i_was]

I had six total Barbies. 2 blonde/white, 2 brunette/white and 2 black. (They only had white and black back then.) I don't know why! Just wanted 'em.

I always figured I'd give my kids mostly non-white dolls, even if my kids were white (although now they won't be). 'Cause I figured they'd get enough "white is beautiful" from society at large...

Re: Heh.

[ranata]

I always had blonde barbies. I had a Jem, this talking doll named Cricket and this other doll named Lil' Miss Makeup. LOL. Call me a black doll snob but I didn't like them. And you're right, back then all they had were black and white dolls. I'd get my kids whatever they wanted to play with, no matter what color so if they end up like how I was growing up, then so be it.

I <3 Jem!

[i_dreamed_i_was]

She's truly outrageous!

Does this seem odd?

[i_dreamed_i_was]

I think I was just about always conscious of race and racism

And now I'm going to have to think on this some more...

[i_dreamed_i_was]

and maybe chat with my mom. I can't believe that there wasn't a time I was unaware of race. That just doesn't make sense...

Gah.

[i_dreamed_i_was]

I thought about it for a while, and... nothing.

I'm sure I asked/was told at a young age, and it might have been like sex, for me. I do remember asking my mom about sex when I was about 4 1/2, and she just told me, real matter-of-fact and kinda clinical, LOL. (She's a doctor.) And I remember thinking, "Yeah. That's about what I figured." So I'm guessing when they told me about race/racism, it wasn't any big lightbulb moment...

It was probably more pro-active, too. Like... I didn't have to point at some woman in a grocery store, all "Mommy! Why is that lady so black?" for them to tell me. I'll have to ask my mom...

Re: Gah.

[dyvinesweetness]

lol I'm sorry that you seem so frazzled by this, but glad that it provoked thought! =)