Comments on: Oh and another thing

By: midlifemama

midlifemama — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 01:32:43 +0000

I was glad to hear your comments about Passover because, as a Christian, whenever I hear the Passover readings I cringe. And then I hear that it is really important to all my Jewish friends and I think, what am I missing? Why do I think it’s bloodthirsty and, apparently, they don’t? So I’m glad you have the same reaction, even if it makes you feel like a bad Jew. (I guess it makes me feel like a bad Christian, since it’s a big part of our tradition as well…)

By: Janine

Janine — Mon, 25 Apr 2005 17:02:33 +0000

As a black woman who went to predominantly white schools and had a wonderful Jewish stepdad I had to deal with this as a teen and young woman. I applaud you (make that a standing ovation) for recognizing the need and helping as you can.

This may sound silly, but I’d recommend exposure to a good black Baptist church. Services are long but they’re never boring ;-D

By: Tamar

Tamar — Sun, 24 Apr 2005 22:14:59 +0000

I hear your anxiety about Passover. My family is fairly religious, but that doesn’t stop me from *detesting* the holiday. Something about it just doesn’t work for me. That said, I do have a lot of really pleasant seder-related memories, and I think that you really can find a community/atmosphere where a seder will feel more comfortable for you. In the meantime, discussing the concept of slavery v freedom, and what it might be like to leave your home with the hope of a better life somewhere else can be great substitutes. The whole point of a seder is sking questions and sharing an experience, and it sounds like you do plenty of that in your family. And your dedication to finding the right preschool for Madison is just another sign of that.

By: Heart

Heart — Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:40:52 +0000

My husband is biracial, adopted by white college professors. During the most traumatic year of his young life, his parents moved from a racially diverse neighborhood back east to one here in CO where he was the ONLY non-Caucasian child in his school, except for his little sister. If they had understood, tried to help, it might not have been so bad. I could write books about the after-effects of some of their decisions, and their blindness to his pain. Being bi-racial these days is less unusual than it was 35 years ago, but you’re on the right track providing Madison support and a diverse pool of peers. FWIW…

By: shannon

shannon — Fri, 22 Apr 2005 18:57:58 +0000

When white students ask me what they can do about continuing white supremacy, I always tell them, “Go live in a black neighborhood. Go join a black church (if they are Christian), go work at a black-owned business, etc. etc.” They are always floored.

But that’s what minorities do in a white supremacist society every day (for the most part). We have a good mix of friends, both class-wise and race-wise, but we don’t have this mix by happy accident. Such accidents don’t happen in the United States today.

And we have a commitment that when we have to choose (which we often have in the past–before baby–and expect to have to do in the future) between putting Nat in the minority or putting oourselves in the minority, we’ll put ourselves there.

Because it will take some discomfort on the part of white people to overcome white supremacy (if this is ever to happen) and that’s a price we’re more than willing to pay. Now that we have Nat, it’s a price we’re delighted to pay on behalf of our Black family members.

All that is just to say, I think you’re making the right decision.