We promised to make an effort to build ties to the local African American community. We started listening to more gospel music. We watched a video about African American skin and hair care. We collected and read books on Black History...checking off every stereotypical box we could think of.
Still--it all was very much "in theory" back then.
But now--2 out of our 5 children are African American.
They are Chuppies.
We are a family.
But--they are also African American.
And that changes the whole way we view Black History. Because everything changes when it is connected to someone you love deeply.
Black History is now part of our family history. Our future generations will forever carry on those ties. The stories of George Washington Carver and Harriet Tubman and Festo Kivengere and Thomas A. Dorsey and John Perkins and Ben Carson and Martin Luther King Jr.--they hold a whole new meaning for us now.
Their lives will forever impact people that we love.
Before--we genuinely admired the many great men and women who influenced Black History.
But now--we are thankful for them and for their many sacrifices and contributions...in such a deep, very personal way.
***On a side note...if you are interested in introducing your children to Black History. Dave and Neta Jackson's book Heroes in Black History is an excellent place to start.
