Excuse Me Little “Black” Girl—Part 2
Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top…. Excuse me little “Black” girl, I wonder about you. YES, YOU! I wonder how many of you have experienced a period of peace, a time when you had no worries and was carefree. I wonder if you have two loving parents, parents who often tell and show you that they love you. Do you tell and show them that you love them? YES, I mean ACTUALLY SAY the words: I-LOVE-YOU-Mom-Dad. Do you come from a loving home, a place where you are valued and protected, encouraged and supported, challenged and taught? Is your foundation solid or is it shallow? I wonder…about you.
When the wind blows the cradle will rock…. Have you experienced bullying–on the playground or in the classroom? Have you ever been picked last because you are a girl? Has a teacher overlooked your raised hand to call on Jim, not that his hand was raised but because he should know science? Have you ever been teased for being too light or too dark, for not being Black enough? Have you been told that you think you are white, talk like you are white, act like you are white? Have you struggled to understand what this means, and what this really means for you? Do you embrace your uniqueness or do you try to fit in? When the wind blows, what do you do?
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall…. I wonder if you are aware of the injustices that await you in this world–injustices related to your gender, to your race, to your gender and to your race. I wonder about your preparation for being a healthy, well-balanced being operating in a world that defines so much around gender, race, and economics. I wonder about your preparation as I think about my own.
You see, there is a need to introduce race and gender scenarios to you in safe environments so you can ask questions and get answers, so you will learn to analyze matters for yourself without depending on media messages and mainstream citations to parrot. As you go forth to be boldly brilliant, you will see some heart aching events. Some, you will experience firsthand. Allow yourself to grow in maturity, to experience a range of emotion. Grow in patience and in perseverance. Being you, being Black and female, is not a bad thing. It is a blessed thing. You will gain insight and strength unlike no other. You will see that storylines have been created for you, but that you are created to create headlines. Write your own script once you have captured their attention. Be open to diverse friendships. Live outside of confined narratives. When the bough breaks, change the ending. Surprise some people and soar!
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being bullied,
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Excuse Me Little “Black” Girl—Part 2
Rock-a-bye baby in the tree top…. Excuse me little “Black” girl, I wonder about you. YES, YOU! I wonder how many of you have experienced a period of peace, a time when you had no worries and was carefree. I wonder if you have two loving parents, parents who often tell and show you that they love you. Do you tell and show them that you love them? YES, I mean ACTUALLY SAY the words: I-LOVE-YOU-Mom-Dad. Do you come from a loving home, a place where you are valued and protected, encouraged and supported, challenged and taught? Is your foundation solid or is it shallow? I wonder…about you.
When the wind blows the cradle will rock…. Have you experienced bullying–on the playground or in the classroom? Have you ever been picked last because you are a girl? Has a teacher overlooked your raised hand to call on Jim, not that his hand was raised but because he should know science? Have you ever been teased for being too light or too dark, for not being Black enough? Have you been told that you think you are white, talk like you are white, act like you are white? Have you struggled to understand what this means, and what this really means for you? Do you embrace your uniqueness or do you try to fit in? When the wind blows, what do you do?
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall…. I wonder if you are aware of the injustices that await you in this world–injustices related to your gender, to your race, to your gender and to your race. I wonder about your preparation for being a healthy, well-balanced being operating in a world that defines so much around gender, race, and economics. I wonder about your preparation as I think about my own.
You see, there is a need to introduce race and gender scenarios to you in safe environments so you can ask questions and get answers, so you will learn to analyze matters for yourself without depending on media messages and mainstream citations to parrot. As you go forth to be boldly brilliant, you will see some heart aching events. Some, you will experience firsthand. Allow yourself to grow in maturity, to experience a range of emotion. Grow in patience and in perseverance. Being you, being Black and female, is not a bad thing. It is a blessed thing. You will gain insight and strength unlike no other. You will see that storylines have been created for you, but that you are created to create headlines. Write your own script once you have captured their attention. Be open to diverse friendships. Live outside of confined narratives. When the bough breaks, change the ending. Surprise some people and soar!
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