[teena]

Originally posted by jubilance1922
I have to disagree with you. I grew up in an extremely pro-Black home, and knew more about my history and culture than some college students when I was still a child. Now that I am an adult in the real world, I thank my father every day for the lessons he taught, the pride he instilled in me, and the reality that he showed me. I think sometimes that in our pursuit of "childhood and innocence" for a child, we neglect to show them how the world really is. That child grows in a bubble, and then they hit the real world and are shocked to find that its not all peaches-and-cream like they thought for the past 18 years. Because of my father's insistence that I learn about my history, my culture, and to be proud of who I was and where I came from, I wasn't deterred when White people in my undergrad days would tell me that I was only there because of affirmative action. I wasn't deterred when people looked at me funny in stores or followed me around. I wasn't deterred by any of the negative experiences I've had with ignorant people, because at the end of the day I know my worth. I know that I'm descended from kings and queens, inventors and businesspeople, people that struggled and sacrified and did what they had to do despite all the negativity in the world. And I thank my father for giving me all that.

Thank you for your point of view Jubilance. My mother raised us to be very aware of our culture and our past. I truly appreciate her telling us the truth. Here is the but. She fed us in digestable pieces. What we could handle for our age. I do the same with my son. He is now 11 and I am now discussing with him what society thinks about black men and what his education needs to mean to him. I wouldnt have dared told him those things at 6 or 7.

But I do hear you.