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I took my kids to the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. They asked all the right questions.

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It’s African American family vacation time. Just a few years ago, my kids and I began an annual tradition of going to visit family in Alabama and Georgia. This yr, I added an academic element to the trip. In the middle of our week in the South, we drove three hours from my parents’ house in northern Alabama to Memphis to visit National Civil Rights Museum (NCRM) at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

In January 2019, I visited the Lorraine Motel for the first time. I had never been to Memphis before and there was no way I might be in Memphis and never visit the museum to see the place where Dr. King was killed. This is by far the most emotional museum experience I have ever had. I was an emotional wreck by the time I finished the tour and had to loosen up on a bench outside the hotel. I was so offended and so hurt, which was surprising because there was nothing about the hotel that I didn’t already know or was not aware of. Yet on this trip, preparing to see his last hotel room and the place where “they” killed Dr. King made me so restless that the emotions spilled out.

I was curious to see how I would feel about this second museum visit and the way my children would react to it. Three of my 4 children are museum-going age; their schools organize field trips to various museums in Washington, D.C. My children have been to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, but I think the last time they were there they were too young to really understand and process what happened there. My daughter is older (15), so she has a distinct perspective from the history courses she has taken, but my younger boys are at the point where they’re taking black history programs and learning that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is dead. The thing is, my children have some understanding of history, but there may be nothing like being bombarded with it.

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I can say that my second time at NCRM was less emotional—probably because I knew what to expect—but additionally because I tried to see the exhibits through my children’s eyes. It wasn’t long before considered one of my children began asking the questions that make American history sound so silly.

We went right into a room where there was a Ku Klux Klan robe and hood, and my son asked me what it was. In a room filled with people, I explained very loudly that there was a bunch of racist white individuals who hated him and didn’t think he should have the opportunity to play along with his schoolmates or the football team, and in some cases killed black people for doing nothing greater than existing. And then the questions of “why” began to come up. One of my children began reading every thing he saw on the wall. He wanted to understand the way it made sense and kept asking me, “Dad, why would someone do that?”

A girl got here up to me and said, “Kids definitely ask the right questions, right?”

Yes, they do. At every display, from the explanation of the Montgomery bus boycott to the Freedom Riders’ bombed bus exhibit, my kids tried to understand why anyone would allow this to occur and why anyone would want to stop kids from playing together. There was a specific exhibit that talked about schools with letters from parents who didn’t want their kids to go to school with black kids, and that basically interested and confused considered one of my kids.

That’s when I began to worry, because while they could not fully understand the extent of American racism in the 1900s, they’re aware of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One day, considered one of my children, an 8-year-old, burst into tears in our house because Dr. King had been killed. He was particularly keen to see the place where Dr. King had been killed. That part upset me because I knew how I felt as an adult, but as a baby whose emotions were already shattered, I was apprehensive about how he would take it.

He looked around the stage, hugged me, and stared out at the balcony. He told me he wanted to see the place where the shooter was, however it was closed for renovation. My kids asked all the questions I wanted them to ask, they usually all began with “Why?” and truthfully, I did not have a good answer to any of their questions. I’ve had questions like that myself over the years. But I was happy with them for recognizing and expressing their concerns, asking about history, and appreciating it. My kids understand that, and I’m comfortable and happy with that.

When we left, they asked us to come back, and once they’re older, we’ll come back. For now, I can share with them a component of American history which means a lot to me, and that is what family vacations are all about.

The kids might be high-quality.


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Do kids still clean up on Saturday mornings with old jams playing in the background? Black cultural research.

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I believe I’m the only person I’ve ever met who knows about the Detroit R&B duo Kiara. My dad bought their second album, Civilized Rogue, which had the song “You’re Right About That” on it – as 90-year-old a song and video as you will ever hear or see. I do not know if it’s true (and I’m undecided my family could confirm this), but I feel like I heard “You’re Right About That” on repeat on Saturday mornings, probably in 1990, while we were cleansing our rooms and whatever else the kids needed to clean on the weekends back then. While the song doesn’t exist for most individuals, it is a reminder of my childhood and a part of the soundtrack to my young, black, Saturday morning.

We were also with Luther Vandross, Kenny G, and Rod Stewart that day. Oh, and Hall & Oates. Saturday mornings were jam-packed with easy tasks. According to each black person I do know, this same pattern played out in black homes throughout America, in addition to those of us in military families overseas. The extent to which we actually cleaned is debatable; my parents said we only needed to clean our rooms on weekends, which is smart—I turned 11 in 1990, and I don’t know how good I used to be at anything at that time.

Now I actually have 4 kids of my very own, and there’s no music on Saturday mornings. Sure, there have been a number of weekends after I’ve woken up the house to 80s R&B or Fela Kuti, but my kids don’t often wake up on Saturdays and take into consideration cleansing their rooms, bathrooms, or living rooms. In fact, most days they don’t give it some thought unless I tell them to do something specific. Not because I’ve lost some sort of value system that gave me my basic memories of random R&B duets, but mostly because nobody is home in my house on Saturday mornings. The way our lives are set up, my kids can get home very late in the day, making it not possible to focus on anyone task. Every weekend is filled with some sort of activity, running the kids from one sporting event or party to a different. It seems to mirror most of my friends’ lives. My kids just don’t have time for it anymore.

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Of course, that is personal; my kids have an interest in numerous things and we all know numerous people, so it is smart that Saturday mornings of my youth can now not exist the way they used to. I feel like I knew numerous people as a child and I definitely played sports, but I actually have numerous memories of playing outside with my friends all the time. I feel like I had all the time in the world, so my parents would expect lots more responsibilities and things. My kids have responsibilities too, but I can be lying if I said they were very time-consuming.

Part of me wants to present my child the same life I had; I grew up to be person, so it looks as if the things I remember fondly contributed to that. But I also wonder if that memory isn’t a relic of a bygone era. Similarly, I ponder if I don’t do not forget that aspect of my life too well; I needed to ask my parents if we cleaned on Saturdays, because the culture made it an integral a part of life for those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s, but there have been greater than a number of things that live more in cultural memory than in reality. If you let social media let you know, everyone my age woke up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to Aretha Franklin, wearing a bandana, and cleansing the house from top to bottom. It can have been another person’s life, however it definitely wasn’t mine. At least hardly enough for it to develop into a part of my identity as a youngster.

The thing is, for some people it can have been life and I ponder if it’s a time-honored tradition that continues to this present day. Among my friends, none of us appear to have time to show on a Bluetooth speaker and crank up the “Cleaning Music” playlist, and we smile as a family as the scent of Fabuloso transports us to a spotless home. Plus, I used to be 10 years old today after I learned there was a brand called Spic and Span. I’d never understood that term before.

Anyway, do families still wake up on Saturdays and put their kids to work while Babyface, SWV, or Usher play in the background? It looks as if such a pleasant, easy aspect of life that creates bonds and memories at home. I’d prefer to attempt to bring back the old one, but even now I actually have to go away to drive one kid across town to a different before picking up one other. Who has time to clean up the family when everyone must be somewhere all the time?

Am I alone?


This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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Dating App Bias Is Putting More Black Singles in a Competitive Position

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As more singles search for love online, research shows that black and Asian singles face greater disadvantages in comparison with their peers.

2024 study revealed that black Tinder users received fewer likes in comparison with their white counterparts. The data also shown that Asian men, like Black men and women, are ranked lower than all other groups on apps like OkCupid.

The results show how dating apps allow people to quickly filter out those that are different from themselves. This ties into age-old matchmaking norms, in which singles met through friends or family.

“The way couples meet is becoming an incredibly important battleground for reinforcing distinctions across racial, ethnic and social class lines,” said Reuben Thomas, a sociologist on the University of New Mexico. he said Faith Hill of . “While apps can be isolating, they are “a huge threat to those boundaries.”

Those brave enough to stay anonymous use filters to avoid people of certain races, while unconscious biases often influence who they decide to swipe right on. Jennifer Lundquist, a sociologist on the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, says that sifting through the myriad options on a dating app can lead people to make snap judgments—often based on stereotypes—that they may not make in the event that they met someone face-to-face.

Research as well will be seen that the app’s algorithms, which remain partially undisclosed, are likely to pair users based on common characteristics. But dating apps offer a greater probability of connecting with others who’re different from themselves.

“Very few people have truly diverse networks that actually match the diversity you see on dating apps,” said Reuben Thomas, a sociologist on the University of New Mexico.

Luke Brunning, a lecturer on the University of Leeds, suggests removing barriers that encourage people from different backgrounds to interact and connect.

“Having people using the same public transportation and the same parks, swimming pools, public facilities won’t integrate society overnight,” Brunning said. “But it will have some incremental positive impact that it certainly wouldn’t have had if things had gone differently.”

AND model by researchers Josue Ortega and Philipp Hergovich predicted that simply increasing exposure to people of various races would result in a rise in interracial marriage. That echoes quite a few studies in which participants express appreciation for the “opening up of social possibilities” that dating apps offer, said Gina Potarca, a lecturer on the University of Liverpool.


This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Help Tyler Perry Celebrate His Birthday

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Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Tyler Perry, Oprah Winfrey, theGrio.com

The day before Prince Harry’s fortieth birthday, he and Meghan Markle stepped out to assist Tyler Perry have a good time his own birthday.

According to photos obtained by Daily mailOn September 14, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were spotted leaving Perry’s party at their home in Montecito, California. The filmmaker turned 55 on September 13, the day before.

The photos show Meghan and Prince Harry smiling within the backseat of the automobile driving away from the event.

The party gave the impression to be full of the couple’s famous friends. Other photos obtained by the publication showed more famous faces leaving the party, including Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King and Alicia Keys, who were all within the vehicle together. Paramount and Nickelodeon CEO Brian Robbins and his wife, designer Tracy Robbins, who’re friends and neighbors of Meghan and Harry, were also seen on the party.

The Daily Mail spoke to an unnamed lighting designer hired to brighten the event. He said the party was energetic, music and dancing.

“Lots of speeches and food too. Everyone had a great time. It was a good party,” he continued. “There were a lot of famous people, but I can’t say more than that.”

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Meghan and Prince Harry have change into close friends with Perry since he first offered Meghan a protected space to speak when she married royal Harry. He got here to her aid again when the couple stepped away from royal duties, and even moved into his home once they first moved to California in 2020.

Since then, her relationship with Perry has only grown, and he’s now godfather to their daughter, 3-year-old Lilibet, whom she calls “Little Lili.”

Her relationships with other attendees, including Winfrey and Robbins, are also well-documented. Winfrey famously offered Meghan the prospect to discuss her life as a royal and the racism she faced, and she has supported them over time, often appearing together at the identical events. Meanwhile, in May, Meghan and Harry helped Brian and Tracy have a good time their wedding anniversary.

Whether Prince Harry marked his milestone birthday with a giant party stays to be seen, but in accordance with People magazine, he planned to have a good time with an intimate gathering at his Montecito home with friends and family.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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