A few years back, my family and I took a trip to Mount Rushmore. While exploring the area, my 5-year-old son and I wandered into the gift shop, where he discovered a bookmark featuring the 44 U.S. presidents. Excitedly, we searched for the four iconic figures we had just seen carved into the mountainside.
“Who is our current president?” he inquired. I pointed to the last portrait on the bookmark and replied, “That’s Barack Obama. He’s been in office since before you were born.”
My son, with his blonde hair and blue eyes, paused, his expression puzzled as he scanned the portraits. “Hmm,” he said, “he doesn’t look like a president.”
I was taken aback.
As part of a multiracial family, I have long engaged with discussions about race in America. I remember the joy I felt when Obama was elected, yet here was my son, innocently stating that our first Black president didn’t fit the mold of a leader. I looked around, noticing other patrons busy with their own tasks, while I processed my surprise.
In retrospect, I realized my son’s reaction was more innocent than alarming. It was a child’s observation, akin to a familiar song: “One of these things is not like the others.” The singular brown face among the predominantly white portraits was strikingly different to him, leading to his conclusion that he didn’t “look like a president.”
This moment struck me as I recognized that my son was unaware of the deep-rooted history of oppression and systemic injustice tied to his comment. I needed to respond in a way he could grasp. “He does look different, doesn’t he?” I said, trying to maintain a cheerful tone. “American presidents have historically looked similar, but that’s changing. We’ll start to see a variety of people in leadership roles, and that’s exciting!” He nodded and moved on to the candy aisle, satisfied by my simple answer.
One day, I plan to share this story with him, highlighting it as his first encounter with his own white privilege. We will discuss how he sees his skin color represented in the vast majority of our nation’s leaders and what that means for him. It will also be essential to explore what children of color perceive when they look at those same portraits and how it shapes their sense of identity. We’ll delve into our nation’s troubling racial history and the ongoing realities of racism, aiming to understand our responsibilities as white Americans in the pursuit of justice.
Often, white privilege is misconstrued as merely a matter of opportunity or economic advantage. It’s more nuanced. It’s about a child seeing their most prominent physical trait reflected in a lineup of influential leaders. It’s akin to a student of mine expressing relief at being white following a lesson on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Moreover, it’s the existence of a national monument featuring four white faces on sacred ground for the Lakota Sioux. It’s recognizing that the power dynamics in our country have historically favored us, leaving our ancestors untouched by oppression due to skin color.
As a white mother raising white children, I cannot alter our nation’s past or erase the privilege they possess. However, I can educate them on how they and others are affected by these realities and empower them to utilize their privilege to advocate for justice.
Barack Obama will always stand out among the others, marking a pivotal change in our history. My hope is that future generations will see a diverse array of faces represented, where every child can find a reflection of themselves. I envision a time when a 5-year-old can look at any leader and confidently say they “look like a president.”
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In summary, my experience at Mount Rushmore with my son served as a poignant reminder of the realities of white privilege. It highlighted the importance of acknowledging our country’s history and fostering conversations about identity and representation with future generations.
Keyphrase: Understanding White Privilege in Children
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