Another great post from "My Brown Baby"

Love this and wanted to share...for my amazing, smart, beautiful little girl...xoxoxoxo

Trick or treating was fun until this happened...

 

So, it's taken me a few days to write this post. Still not sure if I'll actually publish it.  But I want to write about our Halloween night. If you're on my personal Facebook page, you already know about it.

As we've done for the past 3 years, we went trick-or-treating in Maria's neighborhood. She lives in a nice residential area, and a lot of the houses go all out for Halloween, so it's always lots of fun. To be honest, since E & I had pretty much been celebrating Halloween since the previous Friday, by this time, I was feeling sort of done with it. But once I started taking E around the neighborhood, I began enjoying myself and really getting into it.  My little Dorothy was raking in the sweet stuff and having a great time.  Then, toward the end of the evening, something really ugly, and totally unexpected happened. E and I were finishing up trick-or-treating and were headed back to Maria's. We were about a block from her house, and E was skipping ahead of me, when a car drove past us and a guy yelled out the window, "Look out for the n---!" and sped off. Aside from being shocked, I was instantly filled with rage. Luckily, E didn't really pick up on any of it. My eyes were filled with tears and I was fuming inside as I took E back to M's house, where our car was. Three days later, I still can't quite believe it happened. Did someone really shout the n-word out their car window to my daughter??? I find myself questioning if it really actually happened. Did I misunderstand what the guy said? It all happened so fast. But that incident (which I know in my heart really did happen), that only lasted about 5 seconds, infuriated me, and broke my heart. And I'm not sure what to do with it. As my sister said, this person is obviously damaged, angry, and ignorant. I know that it has nothing to do with my sweet, beautiful, strong little girl. But to be confronted with such raw hate and stupidity was just shocking and revolting. After it happened, I just felt sick, as I started wondering, how much more of this %$*# will she have to face in her lifetime? How many more times will someone call her that word? How long until she understands that there are people in this world who will not like her just because of the color of her skin? She lives in a world where she is loved, encouraged, and adored by all those around her. Halloween night was a stark reminder that there is an ugly side of life out there. I believe it's rare, and that this was an isolated (bizarre) incident, but that ugly side is out there. I want E to never be hurt. I want her to only be around people who treat her with love and kindness. I know I can't keep her in a bubble, I know that. But a big part of me would sure like to.

#$%@ People Say To Transracial Families

This you tube video has been making the rounds on the adoption blogs. It is classic, and spot on. It was made by three adoptive moms. I have to say, I don't get questions or comments too very often when I'm out with Elizabeth but it does happen. Overall, I've been asked about 90% of the questions heard on this video. My favorite is "How much did she cost?" Really?

Jen Hatmaker - Dear Trayvon's Mom

Jen Hatmaker - Dear Trayvon's Mom

Martin Luther King - I Have A Dream Speech - August 28, 1963

Why I won't read or watch "The Help"

Today's blog post on www.racialicious.com says it perfectly.

Sh^t White Girls Say to Black Girls

Found this video by Franchesca Ramsey on www.mybrownbaby.com. Wow...

Stupid people can't be my friend on FB

So, a few years back, I worked briefly with a woman in San Diego. We have been "friends" on Facebook, although IRL, we were never much more than acquaintances. Apparently, this week, she and her fiance have been driving across the country. So, this morning, I checked my FB, and her latest status update was, "Lock up yo kids, lock up yo wife...staying in a ghetto motel outside of...(a city in the south)...I think driving 20 hours straight would have been a safer option..."
Ok...anyone who knows me knows that I am not someone who takes things too seriously. I have a sense of humor. But this status update hit me really hard. Made me want to cry, actually. This person was not mocking a southern accent, or being a redneck, or whatever. She was clearly mocking what she thinks black people who live in "the ghetto" sound, and act like. I looked over at my beautiful daughter who was eating her breakfast, and I thought, how many people are going to look at her and make certain assumptions about her, just because of the color of her skin? It makes me sick that these stupid stereotypes are being perpetuated over and over again. In 2011.
Maybe you're thinking I'm making too much of this. In fact, I might have thought that 4 years ago, before I adopted my daughter. But I was so upset after reading that stupid status update. It just felt like a stab in my heart, because it was so offensive to my daughter, and to me. I'm probably not explaining myself very well. All I know is that I "unfriended" this person. And I felt better after.