Black History Month

The Babe is slated to speak on a "prominent" figure this upcoming Sunday. Whom did she choose? Why, Ms. Judith Jamison (fabulous dancer extraordinaire and honorary Delta...OO-oop!). The babe has been enchanted with her, ever since I suggested Ms. Jamison as a possibility (she considered Diana Ross, among others, to begin with). A bit of reading and a few you.tubes later and she was hooked! She's actually viewing her as a role-model, which I love.

We still spend a lot of our church energy on Black History month, but I don't feel it anywhere else. Oh, the occasional mention on the news or a bit of artistry on some of the web sites but that's about it. It seemed to be much more important in my younger years or perhaps more emphasis was placed on the month. It could be that it's just because of where I live now. Well, yeah. That could definitely be it.

My girls are well aware of who they are and where they came from. They are exposed to as much diversity and culture as their parents can supply, but is that enough? I came from a world that was colorless, then was thrown into the "backwards" south. The divide was palpable and I never really felt like I fit in anywhere. By college, things were better but the frustration never really went away. Moving west helped tremendously. I don't think I'll ever live in the south again, but my roots are there and that is a part of me that will never go away.

I can't protect my girls from everything. One day, there differences from the general population here will be thrown at them and I want them to be strong enough in themselves to deal with it as well as feel pride in who they are. So far, there differences have been fairly positive. It probably doesn't hurt that they're cute.