My kids speak of both subtle slights and blatant racism. It's a narrative I never imagined for them.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a parent's realization of the harsh realities of racism that their children experience.
Jacqueline Woodson reflects on the painful awareness that her children are facing racism in its subtle and overt forms, a burden that she had never anticipated they would have to bear. This quote highlights the deep concerns and challenges that parents face when their children encounter discrimination, emphasizing the need for understanding and dialogue about these issues within families.
In practice
During a discussion on social issues at a community event, a parent might share this quote to illustrate the importance of discussing racism with children.
'Brown Girl Dreaming' was a book I had a lot of doubts about - mainly, would this story be meaningful to anyone besides me? My editor, Nancy Paulsen, kept assuring me, but there were moments when I was in a really sad place with the story for so many reasons. It wasn't an easy book to write - emotionally, physically, or creatively.
In the midst of observing the world and coming to consciousness, I was becoming a writer, and what I wanted to put on the page were the stories of people who looked like me.
Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh.
I don't want anyone to walk through the world feeling invisible ever again.
The strength of my mother is something I didn't pay attention to for so long. Here she was, this single mom, who was part of the Great Migration, who was part of a Jim Crow south, who said, 'I'm getting my kids out of here. I'm creating opportunities for these young people by any means necessary.'
I would have written 'Brown Girl Dreaming' if no one had ever wanted to buy it, if it went nowhere but inside a desk drawer that my own children pulled out one day to find a tool for survival, a symbol of how strong we are and how much we've come through.
To be capable of respect is almost as rare as to be worthy of it.
Laila has moved on. Because in the end she knows thatβs all she can do. That and hope.
At any age, we struggle with intimacy. When you're a kid, you think, 'I won't have that problem. I'll have sex whenever I want when I'm a grown-up!' And then, somehow, it doesn't quite turn out that way, and it's so surprising to people that connection remains so challenging even when you're married.
Christian virtues unite men. Racism separates them.
Iβm not used to girls, or familiar with their customs. I feel awkward around them, I donβt know what to say. I know the unspoken rules of boys, but with girls I sense that I am always on the verge of some unforeseen, calamitous blunder.
Some people seem to fade away but then when they are truly gone, it's like they didn't fade away at all.
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