A large family, homeschooling, adoption, special needs, whatever strikes my fancy, sort of blog.

A large family, homeschooling, adoption, special needs, whatever strikes my fancy, sort of blog.

Thursday, June 18, 2020

A Word On Current Events


Two things happened at the end of May/beginning of June.  The story of the death of George Floyd went viral, and one of the libraries in town opened for curbside pickup.  

Here's my facebook post from 6/2:  "I don’t consider myself a feminist, but I can acknowledge that I benefit from the work of feminists that came before me. In the same way, while I don’t consider myself a racist, I can acknowledge that I am part of the privileged class in the race situation. Instead of sharing divisive memes, or opining on a subject I’m not qualified to discuss, I’m taking this opportunity to learn more. I’m listening to Black voices as I sew. I’m reading Hidden Figures, which has been sitting on my nightstand for way too long. And I’m watching America’s Long Struggle Against Racism (Great Courses +) to better understand how we, as a nation, got here.

There’s a saying in the adoption world, “Hurting people hurt people.” We can easily understand the trauma that kids from hard places have, and why it makes them act out. We understand that an orphanage is less than ideal for babies and children. Can we not also admit that the Black experience in the United States today is also less than ideal and extend them the same grace?"


I'm realizing that I have a long way to go.  True confession?  In 19 years of homeschooling, we never did anything for Black History Month.  My excuse is the epitome of white privilege:  That doesn't really apply to us.  I'm sorry.  

So now we're learning.  I put 46 books on hold, covering the Tuskegee Airmen, the Underground Railroad, the Civil Rights Movement, and a variety of other Black History topics.  The first 12 books are here.  Jack, Hannah, Katie, and I are reading and absorbing.  

As a mom, I feel for moms (of all races) who are raising Black children, and especially Black sons.  I have 3 sons serving in the military, but I don't fear for their lives every time they leave the house.  I can't even imagine.

As Maya Angelo says, "When we know better, we do better."  Let's take this time to get to know.  To learn and understand better.  So we can do better.

6 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thank you. I imagine there are some emotional talks happening around your house these days.

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  2. Very well stated. We can all do so much better.
    Blessings, Dawn

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    1. I feel bad, knowing that when learning about systematic racism gets overwhelming I can retreat into my whiteness for a while. Not everyone has that option.

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  3. I'm not American. And before this story went viral, I always thought that America is a place for multiple races. Glad to know thus very kind of words.

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    1. In many ways, America *is* a place for multiple races. We embrace foods and ideas and holidays from around the world. But it seems we still have to work on our "better than everybody else" attitudes.

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