There was never a good connotation when folks around the area called the town I grew up in “the bubble”. The perception was that if you were in “the bubble”, you were not impacted by poverty, violence, diversity or the real world that was going on outside of “the bubble”. “The bubble”, however, was subjected to racial integration plans of the 1970’s which some, likely well educated buffoon with a bunch of letters after his name had concocted in his corner office thinking,” hey, if we bus kids from the inner city to the “bubble”, peace love and joy will result in racial unity!”. Well, as you can imagine the integration plan was a dismal flop. Much like visiting one of those all inclusive resorts in Mexico for 2 weeks, just visiting there doesn’t make you a part of the community and to the community, you will always be a foreigner. Therein lies the basic problem.
So I am getting my hair done a few weeks ago, chatting with the hair dresser who grew up in the town we are now living, a state away from the “bubble”, and she tells me how growing up here, they called it the “bubble”, oh Lord, I am now thinking, I moved from one bubble to another! But in my new bubble, I have 2 black kids and 2 Hispanic kids. When we bought our house, the racial diversity of the neighborhood/town was not something that ever crossed our minds. I am a huge sucker for oak trees and to be honest, the large yards and 150 yr old oak trees were what drew us to the neighborhood. Three of our kids go to an amazing school outside of the bubble. The school community is close knit and diverse. We love the school and all the families we have met through the school. Sounds AWESOME doesn’t it! Oak trees and an amazing Christian school! But we have 4 kids not three, and the 4th has a 35 page IEP and right now cannot exist in a standard classroom setting without a coordination nightmare between the private school the other three go to and the public school. Sigh…..as I walked up to the door of the public elementary school our 4th will be attending next year, the kids were all out playing for recess. I saw three young black girls, hair beautifully done in braids with beads, standing together chatting on the sidewalk. I scanned the playground, and saw a lone group of Hispanic boys playing together at the base of the slide, and then, a sea of white. Together, yet apart, right here in small town America in 2012. And all those feelings of anger and frustration from my youth came flooding back. To get the quality of assistance she requires for her special needs, without moving far outside of the area, the school she will attend will be predominately white, and in addition, the kids she will interact with have segregated themselves based on race. Where does a little black girl who is being raised by white parents fit in? I already know the answer to this one. What I don’t know is what, if anything, we can do about it but be patient and wait to figure out God’s plan in all this.
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9 comments:
I think the school systems reflect the reality of today - where groups still assemble based on gender, race, religion, popularity, and socio-economic status. A diverse school where everyone gets along - now that is a bubble.
A diverse school were everyone gets along.. is a bubble. Huh I guess were strangely fortunate then. As our 3 of our kids go to such a school. Asian, Hispanic, African, Caucasian. All playing wonderfully, joyfully together. Amazing doesnt quiet describe it. It unfortunate that 'anonymous' lives in another reality.
Yes, by selecting a racially diverse private Christian school where (presumably) students aren't coming into and out of the district in any given year you effectively eliminated any racial, religious, or socio-economic issues.
You make it seem like luck or fortune, but I bet you did A LOT of research to find the perfect scholastic environment for the kids.
Jodie here, I think there is a point that is being missed here in that our purposeful intent and one of the important goals we have in raising our kids is that they will be able to get off the highway on the south side of Chicago when they are hungry and enjoy lunch at the Purple Steer in an all black neighborhood and not assume they are going to get robbed or that everyone around them is a criminal or have a vacation home in a predomintatly hispanic neighborhood while others might say that they would be "uncomfortable" living there. Our intent in raising them is that they are just a comfortable living in Bucharamanga Colombia as they are in the midwest. It is not just a racially diverse school that accomplishes this. As their parents, wanting them to accept and treat people based on their merits and values and not group individuals by sterotypes learned by being raised in a lily white bubble. I would suggest reading "Why are all the Black Kids Sitting together in the Cafeteria" to better understand my point. There is a difference between "not being racist" and being "antiracist". We are raising our children to be the latter.
This is a very naive view of the world and is downright irresponsible. There are certain parts of Chicago with Latin Kings on one side of the street and Black Disciples on the other. What point are you trying to prove? Why would you risk your life and the life of your children for something as dumb as lunch.
Naive. hardly Kev. Its quite a worldly view. Whether you choose to accept it or not, we all have a purpose on this planet. Peace begins with a single person. With a single act. Irresponsible? I guess MLK was irresponsible. Mandela irresponsible. Mother Teresa irresponsible. I'm not comparing ourselves to those people, rather to their bravery and courage and most certainly not irresponsibility. Anything Good, Anything worthwhile in ..this.. World was achieved by someone that dared to step somewhere new. To believe in something different. To look beyond the false safety of their own bubble or skewed paradigm. Every person in our home respects Life. Its a gift. And when our jobs are complete, our purposes will be been served, and we will be called home. Whether thats next week, next year, or 50 years from now. Dumb? hardly. But our family has such vastly different ethical, moral, and spiritual views from you, its not surprising we don't see eye to eye.
Just for the record, I have eaten at that resturant more than a dozen times and was never murdered. Obama also worked in that area and near Cabrini Green, the low income housing project in Chicago on the south side where crime was rampant and I wouldn't be surprised if he frequented the Purple Steer as well. He was not murdered either. My job takes me to low income underserved neighborhoods on a daily basis where drugs and gangs are common. Those are the neighborhoods built in flood prone areas and where the kids are testing high for lead. Those are the people we are called to serve and who Jesus served.
Glad to see everyone is in the Easter spirit - Becky
There is no doubt we have vastly different views on a number of topics - and I think we can both accept these differences. In fact, I respect you for these differences even if I enjoy "poking" every now and then.
As you can probably see from my comments, this one goes beyond the typical topics we disagree on - because it potentially involves greater risk of harm to your children. Good luck and be safe.
Happy Easter to all! -KM
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