Nathan: If Jason were born before the Civil War, would he be a slave?
Me: (completely taken off guard) What?
Nathan: If Jason was born before the Civil War and before Abraham Lincoln said there couldn't be slaves anymore, would he have had to be a slave?
Me: Um, no.
Nathan: Are you sure? Because he's really tan.
Me: (seeing where he was going with this) Yeah, no. He's not that tan.
Nathan: Oh, you have to be really tan, like almost black to be a slave?
Me: Yeah, kind of. It gets complicated doesn't it.
Nathan: I guess.
We were not in a place where we could have a big discussion, but it has stuck with me. I remember reading Uncle Tom's Cabin and studying about abolition and always wondering how in the world, and why in the world the color of skin would and could matter so much. Unfortunately, it still does.
It raises all sorts of talking points about inequality and opportunities that some people have not had purely because of the color of their skin, religion, economic situation, or a myriad of other reasons.
The kids have come home talking about Martin Luther King Jr. and Presidents Washington and Lincoln, just because of the time of year and the days that we remember them.
Jason told me (with complete incredulity) that some kids had to drink at different water fountains because of the color of their skin. I guess some of this has been swimming around in Nathan's mind and he asked some questions. It is a sad part of our history and a sad part of what we still see today. I just hope we keep seeing progress and that we remember that we are all God's children.
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