Yesterday, almost 900 people showed up and socially distanced along Lamar Alexander Parkway in Maryville, TN, for a peaceful vigil hosted by Blount County SURJ (Showing up for Racial Justice) to show solidarity with our African American friends and neighbors. Signs read End White Silence, Black Lives Matter, Say Their Names, and more.
A kind woman named Hannah from the East Tennessee History Center engaged my child in a conversation about race. I was glad to be a witness and see how easily my child understood exactly what she was talking about. She even brought a bag full of children’s books about civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.
We’ve talked a lot of MLK, Jr in our family, and my son has now been to two MLK Day marches, but I didn’t know he already knew about Rosa Parks until Hanna engaged him in conversation and gave him a book.
After the vigil, he told me the whole story about how she refused to sit in the back of the bus and said his teacher at school taught him. Yessss!
To banish racism, it’s important to have anti-racist policies and systemic change AND to also raise race-conscious children.
If you need a place to start, raceconscious.org has excellent resources for parents.
Élan Young 