[CubanaYogini]

DH and I saw a play tonight about the Civil War and slavery. As I watched the play I felt a sense of near panic as I reminded myself that someday I am going to have to explain to my son how and why his ancestors were brought to this country.

I don't think about slavery on a day-to-day basis, but it is a sad reality of my son's heritage. I am just so sad and angry thinking about that reality.

Just needed to share that...

[Shai's Mom]

My bio-daughter is bi-racial. During her growing up years we did talk about slavery and read books/watched movies together. While she emphasized with the horrible suffering of the African people sold into slavery, she didn't really "personalize" it. Since it happened so long ago, it didn't seem all that real to her.

We are Jewish, and my grand-mother was a Holocaust survivor. The holocaust seemed to be more personal to her, I guess, because it is part of her more "recent" history, and because she met other survivors as well.

I can never understand how people can be so cruel to other people. No matter the origin, the skin-color, the ethnic background, we are all people. We laugh, we cry, we bleed when cut.

Diversity should be celebrated, not vilified. Ok so I got off subject, but this is my favorite soap-box theme.

[AudreyE]

Originally Posted by CubanaYogini

DH and I saw a play tonight about the Civil War and slavery. As I watched the play I felt a sense of near panic as I reminded myself that someday I am going to have to explain to my son how and why his ancestors were brought to this country.

Every night at dinner, we discuss what the kids learned in school that day. When our son started learning about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln, our discussions started naturally turning toward slavery and mistreatment of black people. Same with Martin Luther King, etc....

So don't panic... it's not a matter of you "explaining" in a formal sense, as much as it's a matter of discussing it when it comes up naturally.

Audrey

[nickchris]

This is what I did as a black mother with a child who felt ashamed of his people being depicted as only slaves, sitting in his civil war history class in 4Th grade. We discuss the historical facts of slavery, including the fact that Lincoln was not our emancipator in a purist form. I also balanced that piece of history with the awesome, things blacks have contributed to not just the Americas, but throughout history.. he felt better after. And not just sports or entertainment either, inventions, science, medicine, agriculture etc;
I also found slavery/civil rights certain stories went over better if it contained a through the child's eyes perspective IE; Ruby Bridges.
Check our listings out in the AA section under resources for a few suggested readings.. :-)

[musemoon]

Regarding slavery. I just heard an amazing NPR interview with the late Joe Carter regarding African Amercian sprituals and how they were the birth of jazz, blues and hip hop. I am also writing a script based on the true story of a man and his family who escaped through the Underground Railroad. An ancestor of this man asked me to write the film for him and it is beautiful. The unity and support each escaping slave received and the power and beauty of the people who were protecting them is downright heroic and awe inspiring.

During the years of slavery, slaves sang AA spirituals to communicate with each other and lift each other up. They were songs of inspiration, but most of the words had double meanings, they were often words of rebellion and ways of letting others know that they were leaving. Swing Low Sweet Chariot was a death song, often sung when a child died, but during the time of the abolition movement and the Underground Railroad it was also a way to tell others that they were going to be leaving for their freedom, that they had contacted the underground railroad and someone was going to "carry them home". Mr. Carter said that the slaves had an unbreakable spirit and a devout faith in themselves and God, but not really the Christian God, but the Gods of Africa, yet when they were forced to worship a Christian God, they found simularities in Jesus' suffering and Moses leading his people home. So while slavery was reprehensible and horrid, it was the spirit of the slaves and their on breakable strength that lead them to create music out of hardship and bring the world the roots of modern song.

So yes it is an entertainment, but this was the music of their souls and their suffering. Slaves where like Jesus, most didn't wallow in suffering, but rather rose up in song. I want my daughter to see slavery for it's horrors, but I want her to be proud of her ancesestors who united in song and spirit to emotionally and physically free themselves from their oppressors.