"Nana, Those People Were Wrong"

In a recent phone conversation with my ten year old granddaughter, the topics varied from snow day activities, spending time at the bead shop, and talking about a movie that she recently watched with her parents.

She asked, "Nana, have you seen the movie Hidden Figures?" I replied that I had not seen it but I read some reviews about it. After assuring me that it was suitable for the whole family to watch, she then proceeded to tell me the plot line.

For those of you who have seen the movie, you know what it's about. But if like me, you haven't seen it, I'll fill you in here. Hidden Figures is the story of three brilliant African-American women at NASA who serve as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history, the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.

Anna seemed to be amazed that everyone thought that these women, first because they were women and second because they were African-American, were not qualified for the job.  As she said, "Nana, those people were wrong."

I agree. Being a child growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, I can remember seeing discrimination first hand. When I accompanied my mother to the courthouse or other public buildings, I was always confused by the fact that there were two water fountains, one marked "colored" and the other marked "white".  Not to make light of the situation, but when you are 5 or 6 years old, the thought that there might be "colored" water coming out of one of the fountains was intriguing.
The one thing I remember that bothered me the most was the fact that there were three bathrooms, marked men, women, and once again, "colored".  When I asked my mother why all people couldn't use the same bathroom, I remember that she had a sad look on her face when she said, "That's just the way it is".

While laws have changed and people are, in theory, afforded the same opportunities,  I think it is fair to say that we, as teachers, parents, and grandparents,  have a long way to go to insure that children grow up without being told they can't be friends with another child or live in the same apartment building or go to the same school, or they can't have dreams to be a doctor or astronaut because "that's just the way it is".

There are a plethora of books written for children about diversity. Topics range from race, religion, disabilities, and having two moms or two dads.  The following list contains one of my favorites (Yoko) and two that I recently came across.

Yoko, written by Rosemary Wells.

Yoko's mom has packed her favorite lunch, sushi! But the other children make fun of her lunch. Mrs. Jenkins comes up with a plan. A "potluck" is planned and each child is required to bring a food dish that is representative of their culture or heritage. What a "yummy" way to celebrate classroom diversity! Preschoolers, kindergartners, and even first and second graders could enjoy this book and a luncheon as well!

The Name Jar, written by Yangsook Choi.

The new kid in school needs a new name! Or does she? When no one at Unhei's new school can pronounce her name, she tells the children that she will have a new name by next week.  Trying to be helpful, her classmates fill a jar with names for her to choose from. But as the children get to know her, the jar mysteriously disappears and Unhei chooses her own Korean name and teaches everyone how to say it!

Everybody Bakes Bread, written by Norah Dooley.

A rainy day errand introduces Carrie to many different kinds of bread, including chapatis, challah, and papusaa as she visits houses in her neighborhood.  This book even includes recipes! And while it is not really a read aloud book for very young children, preschoolers still could enjoy it and baking bread with the teacher would be super cool!


That's it for now.
Check back later!