I am sitting here at the local park and enjoying the sun. The weather is beautiful, and I’m saying a silent “thank you” for living in the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area of California. The kids are playing happily, climbing and jumping and running. I sit there, melting in the warm rays of the sun, feeling relaxed and happy. And then, as I watch the kids playing, I realize that what I’m seeing is beautiful – far more beautiful than just kids playing, or green grass or a bright sunny day: what I’m witnessing is racial blindness, color blindness, complete racial integration – and the best of all: while I’m aware of what I’m seeing, the kids are not even aware that they are playing with kids who are “different.”
That little blond child running around with his Asian friend? I don’t think either of them is paying much attention to the fact that their skin tones and the shape of their eyes are different. And look at that little African American girl, happily playing on the monkey bars with my own Jewish American kids – they are focused on playing and on helping her learn the proper technique of doing the monkey bars. No one seems to care that they are playing with someone whose skin is colored differently than their own skin, or whose traditions are different than their own.
I close my eyes and reflect on the Seder night at my beloved friends’ home – celebrating Passover with them is always an amazing (and yummy!) experience. Now I remember that their daughter brought her best friend with her to the Seder night – the Jewish American girl and the Asian American girl, best friends, getting to know each other’s cultures, never judging, never building walls, just accepting.
Or the wonderful farewell party held a few weeks ago for our neighbors who are retiring to Arizona. Neighbors on the guest list: British, Taiwanese, Indian, Jewish, and part Hispanic. Unlike the children, we are accepting – but aware of the differences. We talk about them, ask questions about the others’ culture. It’s still beautiful – accepting and non-judgmental – but it lacks the beauty of the kids’ lack of awareness.
Now contrast that beautiful racial integration and acceptance surrounding me here, in the Bay Area of 2010, with the movie I watched on DVD last night – Far From Heaven. The movie captures the racial tension and prejudice typical of the 1950s – and makes one realize just how ridiculous those social taboos were, forcing people to live a lie or be shunned by society. The scene where a little black boy enters the pool at a resort and all the white kids run out of the water is absolutely shocking.
Of course, here in the United States we don’t have official racial segregation anymore – but in practice, I don’t think we have achieved racial blindness either. With an African American President, the glass ceiling has finally been broken – I am so proud of that – but it would be foolish to pretend that race is not an issue anymore.
Basking in the sun’s warm rays, watching the kids playing with each other, I am saying another silent “thank you,” and hoping that these amazing kids who are so blissfully racially blind will grow up to be adults who just don’t accept race-based prejudice anymore, a generation that will end racial segregation and racial discrimination once and for all.
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Loved this comment: “If one starts at the north pole and walks to the equator, initially people will be very light skinned, as the walk continues, people will become darker until reaching the equator. This change will happen so gradually that it will not be noticed, only the north and south extremes… there is only one race, the human race. The concept of more than one race is not real.” Dr. J, Dr J. Will See You Now
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I'm Vered DeLeeuw, a blogger for hire and a social media consultant. My social media campaigns increase brand awareness and loyalty, improve search engine rankings and drive targeted traffic to my clients' websites. Momgrind is my personal blog.
