‘He wanted the white people and black people to be friends’
The lessons of Martin Luther King Jr.
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
4. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
7. WOYM: Fewer stinkbugs? You may have wasps to thank
8. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. CB Manning opts to transfer from Virginia Tech
Monday, January 16, 2012
A brief conversation between me and the resident kindergart ner in my house, who has been studying the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at her school.
So, honey. Tell me about Martin Luther King.
“He wanted the white people and the black people to be friends.”
Aw, that’s sweet. It is so great what you kids …
“And when black people ride on the bus and white people get on, the black people have to go sit in the back.”
Uh, wait a minute. Not exactly. You see … um, where to start? (Thinking to myself: How can I explain Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the birth of the Civil Rights movement to a 5-year-old?)
OK, so there was this lady down in the state of Alabama, and she was on the bus and she was very tired. Then a white man got on and told her to get out of her seat and move to the back of the bus. Can you believe that? I’ll bet you wouldn’t like it if somebody made you get out of your seat and move to the back of the bus.
“We can’t sit in the back of the bus. That’s where the safety patrol sits.”
Oh.
“And kindergart ners have to sit in the front. That’s what the bus driver says.”
I see. (I’m in trouble here.) Well. Forget about the bus. A long time ago, the white people and the black people were not always friends …
“Nakia is my friend.”
Oh. And Nakia … is … black?
“No. She’s brown.”
Got it. (Then she mentions the Eastern-sounding name of a classmate that I will not attempt to spell.)
Is she Indian?
“What’s Indian?”
A person from the country of India.
“No, she’s from Nepal! Everybody was asked where they’re from and she said, ‘I’m from Nepal!’ ”
Oh, wow. Nepal! And at your preschool you went to school with kids from India and black kids and brown kids, too. And you ride the bus with kids who speak Spanish, right?
“Yes.”
Well, when daddy went to school, he didn’t go to school with black people or brown people or kids from Nepal or India.
“Just peach-colored people?”
Yes, honey. Just peach-colored people. And daddy never learned very much about Martin Luther King or got a day off from school to talk about him and all the things he did to help people get along. Tell me again, what have you learned about Martin Luther King?
“He wanted the white people and the black people to be friends.”
That’s right. The black people, the brown people, the white people, the Indian, Spanish and Nepal people and the peach-colored people. You know, I think you’ve learned a lot about Martin Luther King.
“Can I rollerskate now?”
Yes, honey.
Ralph Berrier Jr.’s “Dadline” column runs every other Monday in Extra. Please comment on this story at The Roanoke Times’ Facebook page, www.facebook.com/roanoketimes.
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
4. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
5. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
6. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
7. WOYM: Fewer stinkbugs? You may have wasps to thank
8. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. CB Manning opts to transfer from Virginia Tech
THE ROANOKE TIMES
