Thinking about skin color

Our seven-year-old African American daughter, Sara, is starting to think and talk about race. Tonight, for example, she said this: "If we moved to Africa, we would take everything that is in our house, so we could show Africans that they do not have to be afraid of us, that we would share with them what we have. If a white person comes to Africa to bring gifts, the Africans might be afraid that the white person is going to grab them and make them slaves. But if they knew you and mom, they would know that you are nice and would not make them slaves."

Then she told me about a neighbor boy whose mom used to be farming partners with Colleen. The boy's name was Mason. Mason used to want to play a "slave game" and always made Sara be the slave. Sara said she did not like that. Actually, she never said anything about that game to us. Furthermore, her brother, Jon, confronted Sara about this memory. He said she actually liked being the slave. If that is true, I am guessing it is because the three boys finally included her in their games, and she was so glad to be included, that she was even willing to play the part of slave. Sigh.

There is a boy at school who keeps calling Sara "Chocolate," and likes to chase her around the playground. I think that was the trigger that got her thinking about color.