From the time kiddos start saying words, we teach them colors. Shoot, when my oldest got his colors down, I thought I had a little Einstein on my hands. Bless my first time mama’s heart.
Since we love colors and they surround us, why do we struggle with and avoid conversations about our skin color or race?
(Two decades of leading a multiracial faith community speaking here ) — I think many of us avoid & struggle with race conversation because it’s uncomfortable. It stirs up painful images of a brokenness we think is in the past. It’s a challenge to our know-it-all-or-google-it society.
So we shush our kids questions about other people’s race. We teach them to be “colorblind”. We leave their God-given curiosity open for ignorant and damaging views to fill. We tell ourselves we don’t see color.
Remember when Whitney Houston burst on the scene singing,
“I believe the children are our future; teach them well and let them lead the way.”
Amen Whit! I think it’s an incredibly ripe time to teach kids and adults something better than ignorance, colorblindness or apathy. As a mom, I believe if we do nothing else, we must invest in our children. Seeds planted in their hearts will bear fruit long after we are gone. And have I got some precious seed for you!
ColorFull is my first literary baby and the message is this: Be fully aware of the colors God made! Trees, plants, animals, and especially people – all these are created intentionally with color. See it. Celebrate it! Why be colorblind when we can be ColorFull instead!
