On
Monday during lunch, while the kids were having some trail mix post
sandwiches (for Isaiah and Mia) and cereal (for Benji), we read this story and this story.
I
think they correlated quite nicely -- treating others as you would like
to be treated, not treating others as less than yourself.
The
thing I love about the first book is that it shares the phrase of the
golden rule in the way it is taught from various religions:
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Shawnee
Tribe. It also promotes thinking about applying the rule in different
situations from a child's perspective, and was very thought-provoking
for me as well.
Then
we read about Martin Luther King's life in the other book, and I
prefaced it with earlier conversations we've had on slavery and the poor
treatment of black people, the whole ugly issue of racism and how wrong
it is.
The story sketches Martin's life as a child and as an adult.
What he fought for, how he worked and prayed with people.
It shares the Rosa Parks incident.
We talked about how Martin knew it was right to fight for equal rights, even though it was scary.
He had courage and he knew he was doing God's work.
I love that famous phrase: "I have a dream." It moves me to the core.
We
talked about how some white people wouldn't let black people in their
stores, on the bus, use their toilets, share their common things. They
viewed black people as LESS, as dirty or unclean.
I asked them throughout the discussion if they thought this was right, to which the answer was always no.
Benji
didn't understand why Rosa Parks was arrested because she wouldn't give
up her seat. He said, "The policemen did that, Mom?"
I spent time reinforcing.
We talked about how we are all God's children, and not one of us is any
better than anyone else, regardless of skin color, eye shape, or any
other discriminatory factor.
We are all equal and all beautiful.
Then, after this discussion, Isaiah came out with this:
"If
the white people kept doing that to the black people, I would grow up
to be the bishop and teach them all about Jesus Christ and that they can
use the same potties and the same buses and the same plates and tables
as the white people are."
Aside
from it kind of cracking me up that he referred to being a bishop so he
could teach people what was right (we had talked about how Martin was a
minister), I thought it was very profound.
I found myself uttering a silent prayerful wish, right then, in my mind and heart:
Oh Isaiah, I hope you have the courage to fight the injustices in your time.
I hope you have the courage to speak up and out.
To teach truth by your words and example.
And God, please give me the courage to do the same.
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