Civil Rights Discussion

My girlfriend is visiting from Michigan and yesterday, two of her children, two of my children, and the two of us were sitting in the living room, relaxing, and just talking. The topic of race relations came up and developed into a really interesting conversation about civil rights and the civil rights movement and how it affects this generation of kids.

As a result of the conversation, we decided to take the four kids to the Civil Rights Museum today for some immersion. None of them have ever been and were horrified to hear about Emmett Till and similar incidents.

We talked about racism and the different forms it can take; how it can be subtle or blatant, and even if we do not intend to be racist, sometimes we hold beliefs that, when really examined, are in fact racist. One example was that most black people are "sassy and in your face" but that black people in Germantown aren't because they're rich and have "lots of money and stuff". Now, understand that the children we were having this conversation with (a) are between 11 and (a naive) 15 and (b) have all been brought up in diverse and/or multicultural households.

It occurred to me: if these kids who were brought up in a diverse environment and with exposure to many different cultures still have these thoughts, I have to wonder whether children brought up in environments of closed-mindedness and not exposed to other cultures are perpetuating the sterotypes of racism.