King Martin

Maddie came home from school on Tuesday with a story she was anxious to tell me. She was telling me that she learned about someone new at school today. She began telling a story about King Martin. As she was telling the story, I racked my brain to remember a King Martin. Saint? No. Historical figure? Hmmm... can't think of one.

She explained that King Martin lived long ago and he wanted to play at this park, but he wasn't allowed. There was a sign there that said he couldn't play there. The sign said "Whites Only." Suddenly, I got it. "Maddie, do you mean Martin Luther King?" Maddie's eyes lit up! "You know him, Mom!"

She went on to explain how he talked to people about how everyone should be allowed to play at all the parks. She said that some people didn't like him just because his skin was brown and somebody really mean even killed him. After she had finished the story, she went to work on a drawing at the kitchen table. Apparently, she continued to process what she had heard, because a few minutes later, she said, "Mom, I didn't even know that black was a bad thing!"

So, we discussed how silly it would be if she wasn't allowed to go to her school because her hair is brown, or because her eyes are green. She asked if she was white. We looked at her skin together and decided she's peachy-colored. We went on to other topics, but she kept coming back to the story of "King Martin." She just couldn't get over prejudice as a concept. "Mom, that is just the worst thing I've ever heard. That is SO mean!!!"

I am sad. Until now, Maddie lived in the blissful ignorance that I wish we all could. Now she knows. She knows people are mean-spirited and there are hateful people that kill other people. Maddie is our empath, the one who feels the pain of the world acutely. I just wasn't ready for her to lose that part of her innocence yet. I guess my question is, do we have to teach children that some people are prejudiced? Couldn't we just leave it as it was? Where the kids came home from school telling us about the new boy at school who is "really tan"?