From Writing for Social Justice Blog (Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?)

Can You "Spot That Stuff"?

It's funny, I think I've seen this book at least a dozen times and never wanted to pick it up. I'm glad I finally did because I really like this book. There were so many areas that hit me I'm not sure where to begin...

While reading chapter three, I was really focused on how children really do notice skin color very early--even if they know better than to say so in public. The whole time my mind kept floating back to when my niece was about three years old. She is half white, and lives with the white side of her family (some of whom are racist or children of racists). She was having something of an identity crises, partly due to one of her "friends" picking on her about her skin color and curly hair. There were times when she wanted my mother to put makeup on her so she could look like us, and times when she wanted to run inside from the parking lot because she didn't want to "get dark" from being out in the sun.

My mother, brother, and I wondered where this could be coming from. What were they saying "over there"? Why didn't she want to be Black, or have anything related to Blackness (skin, hair, etc.)? I know there was more than one thing affecting her and her sense of self, and the white side of her life wasn't the only source. Then I started thinking about what racial images we see on television. Then I hit YouTube...That's where I found this:

Of course, these things aren't really on the mind of a three year old. They are looking at cartoons, right? Well, that's when I found a clip on racist cartoons. While I could think of a few more examples that could be added to this, I found myself a little confused about the racism in the Jungle Book clip. Maybe someone else can catch it...

Now, the one that really hurt my feelings was Dumbo. I used to watch that movie all the time, and never thought about the crows being racist. I just remember never really liking them...On the other hand, I can remember being slightly offended when cartoon characters would be covered in soot or gun powder with only their eyes and lips showing, but never connecting it to Blackface. To me, this is where Tatum's point about "learning to spot 'that stuff'--whether it is racist, or sexist, or classist--is an important skill for children to develop", and I couldn't agree more (47). It frustrates me to know that I was so oblivious to some of these things, and they were right in my face. Then I think about my niece. What does she see that I am missing? What opportunities to talk am I letting pass by the both of us?