What color am I?
I knew it was a teacher training day at the school which my adopted niece, Sam, and her brother, Paul attend. Paul was to spend the day going kayaking with a friend and his friend’s mother. I was tickled that Sam had asked to spend the day with me. She has also texted me that she had an important question to discuss.
Since she was having breakfast with her parents and Paul, I did not need to fix breakfast although I had made dought for cinnamon buns for a snack later. The refrigerator dough could rise in the refrigerator until we were ready to make the rolls. I also had the milk heating and some mini-marshmallows set out for her hot chocolate.
I have been enjoying the morning newspapers or rather, I had the newspaper spread out as it it was waiting for reader. In actuality I was watching the robins, the blue birds and an occasional humming bird search for their breakfast.
I did not notice that Sam was already making her way to my kitchen door. It was only when I heard the gentle six-year old tap on the door that I brought my attention back to the moment.
I open the door.
Me: Good morning Sam. How are you?
Sam: I am good Uncle Jim. I am so glad we are spending the day together. Dad made waffles for breakfast and we had fresh strawberries and blueberry syrup! Yummm….
Me: Sounds yummy. Do you want some hot chocolate Sam?
Sam: It was yummy. Are we going out to lunch Uncle Jim?
Yes, please.
Me: (One has to carefully follow the words of a loquacious six-year old.). You do want hot chocolate?
Sam: (sigh) Yes, please.
Me: The mild is hot. I have already mixed the vanilla, cocoa, sugar and water. Here, do you want to stir after I pour the milk in?
Sam: Okay. I like to see the milk change color.
Me: Here, let me tie your apron on.
(I get the apron and tie it on her. Then Sam gets up on our stool and carefully begins to stir the hot chocolate.)
Sam: Now it is the color of Ted E. Bear.
Me: Indeed it is. Such a nice color. Here, let me poor it in the cup for you.
Sam adds several miniature marshmallows.
Sam: Yumm. I love hot chocolate.
Me: I know you do. What was the question you wanted to ask?
Sam: How come I am not a color, Uncle Jim.
Me: You are a color Sam.
Sam: No. White is not a color
Me: I think of you more of an antique lace color – something between beige and a very light brown. You know that old crocheted dollie which is under the lamp on your nightstand? That was made by your great grandmother. You are the same color as it is, but some parts of you are already beginning to get darker as you spend more time in the sun and some part of you are much lighter. None of you is the same color as my white kitchen cabinet or the white crayon.
Here, let’s look at something. Angélia Dass is an artist who creates photographs to show the many colors of we humans and even the different colors on different parts of our body. Yesterday I was listening to a Ted Talk by her and then later looked on the internet to see some of her photographic exhibits. Here, let me show you.
I quickly find the site which featured her creations.
Sam: Gosh, Uncle Jim no one is white or black are they?
Me: No, we are all many different shades or hues. Do you know the word hue Sam?
Sam: No, Uncle Jim. I will get the dictionary. How to you spell it Uncle Jim?
Me: H U E
Sam: Here it is.
She reads:
[if !supportLists]· [endif]A color or shade.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]The attribute of a colour by virtue of which it is discernible as red, green, etc. and which is dependent on a dominant wavelength and independent of intensity or lightness.
What does this mean Uncle Jim. Discern….?
Me: That just means what we see with our eyes although some people see differently and do not see colors the same as others. We know that light has a length. Remember when we looked the chart. The different lengths of the light determine color.
Sam: Oh I remember, but that is still sort of confusing.
Me: We will look at it again some time. For now, let’s just use the word shade which you understand.
Let’s get back to you concern about your color. Why you want to be a different color?
Sam: Uncle Jim it seems like everyone in my school is more of a color than I am.
Me: You attend a school which has a lot of people from different backgrounds and a lot of them have people In their families who are many different colors. Here, let me read to you what Angélia Dass says about her family on the Ted Talk:
“I was born in a family full of colors. My father is the son of a maid from whom he inherited an intense dark chocolate tone. He was adopted by those who I know as my grandparents. The matriarch, my grandma, has a porcelain skin and cotton-like hair. My grandpa was somewhere between a vanilla and strawberry yogurt tone, like my uncle and my cousin. My mother is a cinnamon-skin daughter of a native Brazilian, with a pinch of hazel and honey, and a man [who is] a mix of coffee with milk, but with a lot of coffee. She has two sisters. One in a toasted-peanut skin and the other, also adopted, more on the beige side, like a pancake.”
Sam: That makes me hungry Uncle Jim. I am more like a pancake color? I like that Uncle Jim – much better than white. Why does color make a difference?
Me: That is an important question Sam. You know we have talked a lot about bullies not feeling good about themselves. They find some way to convince themselves that they are stronger or more important than other people. Well, in this country some people want to be richer so that they could feel important. They figured if they did not have to pay their workers much they could have more money. So they had to convince themselves that they could do this and still be good people. They called the workers slaves. Someone decided that they would use skin tone or shade and then say that all people who came from Africa were black although as Ms. Dass points out that is not true. Then they made up lies to justify what they believed. They said that black people were dark chocolate and honey and cinnamon and many other colors. They also were not dumb but when you do not let kids go to school or read which made them seem dumb.
Later it was not just the slaves but anyone who looked different including Asians, Native Americans, Middle Easterners and others. At times it was men convincing themselves they were better than women.
Sam: That is mean and stupid Uncle Jim.
Me: Yes it is. So you see it really had nothing to do with color or race or even gender. You will also notice that we have different shapes, different color eyes, and many other small differences, Remember when someone came to your class and divided you up according to eye color. Because you have blue eyes you were in the blue eye group. Then the teacher pretended that all blue eye people were stupid and not nice. That made you and the other kids feel terrible didn’t it. Treating someone different because of their color is the same thing except when we do it for years and years everyone begins to believe the lies and to treat each other and themselves on the basis of the lie.
Sam: At our school everyone is treated well. The teacher does not like it if someone is mean.
Me: That is really good. So is one color better than another.
Sam: I guess not Uncle Jim. I like an … What color did you say I am Uncle Jim?
Me. Antique beige. That is not even close to white it is although white is also a good color.
Sam: That is weird Uncle Jim. Why did I think I was white? I am nothing like the white crayon.
Me: When we hear something over and over again we tend to believe it if we are not careful. You hear the terms while and black a lot but when it comes to people those are not very accurate terms.
Sam: Uncle Jim it seems like every time we talk we find out we were not thinking very well.
Me: That is true Sam. It is easy to begin to think that we have learned a lot about some subject and then we forget to question what we heard.
Sam: It is time for lunch Uncle Jim.
Me: It is nearly time. Is there someplace special you want to go?
Sam: Could be go to a place where I could practice my Spanish Uncle Jim.
Me: We should could. Let’s look at the options. There are three places relatively close.
Sam: Thanks Uncle Jim. Will they like antiques beige people? (She smiles.)
Me: I am sure that they will, Sam. Here, let’s wash up our cups and then we can put the stool and the apron away. I enjoyed our conversation. By the way we are going to have cinnamon rolls later. I put the dough in the refrigerator. Remind me when we get back and we will make the rolls so that they can rise again.
Sam: Okay. Thanks Uncle Jim
Written April 15, 2016
I knew it was a teacher training day at the school which my adopted niece, Sam, and her brother, Paul attend. Paul was to spend the day going kayaking with a friend and his friend’s mother. I was tickled that Sam had asked to spend the day with me. She has also texted me that she had an important question to discuss.
Since she was having breakfast with her parents and Paul, I did not need to fix breakfast although I had made dought for cinnamon buns for a snack later. The refrigerator dough could rise in the refrigerator until we were ready to make the rolls. I also had the milk heating and some mini-marshmallows set out for her hot chocolate.
I have been enjoying the morning newspapers or rather, I had the newspaper spread out as it it was waiting for reader. In actuality I was watching the robins, the blue birds and an occasional humming bird search for their breakfast.
I did not notice that Sam was already making her way to my kitchen door. It was only when I heard the gentle six-year old tap on the door that I brought my attention back to the moment.
I open the door.
Me: Good morning Sam. How are you?
Sam: I am good Uncle Jim. I am so glad we are spending the day together. Dad made waffles for breakfast and we had fresh strawberries and blueberry syrup! Yummm….
Me: Sounds yummy. Do you want some hot chocolate Sam?
Sam: It was yummy. Are we going out to lunch Uncle Jim?
Yes, please.
Me: (One has to carefully follow the words of a loquacious six-year old.). You do want hot chocolate?
Sam: (sigh) Yes, please.
Me: The mild is hot. I have already mixed the vanilla, cocoa, sugar and water. Here, do you want to stir after I pour the milk in?
Sam: Okay. I like to see the milk change color.
Me: Here, let me tie your apron on.
(I get the apron and tie it on her. Then Sam gets up on our stool and carefully begins to stir the hot chocolate.)
Sam: Now it is the color of Ted E. Bear.
Me: Indeed it is. Such a nice color. Here, let me poor it in the cup for you.
Sam adds several miniature marshmallows.
Sam: Yumm. I love hot chocolate.
Me: I know you do. What was the question you wanted to ask?
Sam: How come I am not a color, Uncle Jim.
Me: You are a color Sam.
Sam: No. White is not a color
Me: I think of you more of an antique lace color – something between beige and a very light brown. You know that old crocheted dollie which is under the lamp on your nightstand? That was made by your great grandmother. You are the same color as it is, but some parts of you are already beginning to get darker as you spend more time in the sun and some part of you are much lighter. None of you is the same color as my white kitchen cabinet or the white crayon.
Here, let’s look at something. Angélia Dass is an artist who creates photographs to show the many colors of we humans and even the different colors on different parts of our body. Yesterday I was listening to a Ted Talk by her and then later looked on the internet to see some of her photographic exhibits. Here, let me show you.
I quickly find the site which featured her creations.
Sam: Gosh, Uncle Jim no one is white or black are they?
Me: No, we are all many different shades or hues. Do you know the word hue Sam?
Sam: No, Uncle Jim. I will get the dictionary. How to you spell it Uncle Jim?
Me: H U E
Sam: Here it is.
She reads:
[if !supportLists]· [endif]A color or shade.
[if !supportLists]· [endif]The attribute of a colour by virtue of which it is discernible as red, green, etc. and which is dependent on a dominant wavelength and independent of intensity or lightness.
What does this mean Uncle Jim. Discern….?
Me: That just means what we see with our eyes although some people see differently and do not see colors the same as others. We know that light has a length. Remember when we looked the chart. The different lengths of the light determine color.
Sam: Oh I remember, but that is still sort of confusing.
Me: We will look at it again some time. For now, let’s just use the word shade which you understand.
Let’s get back to you concern about your color. Why you want to be a different color?
Sam: Uncle Jim it seems like everyone in my school is more of a color than I am.
Me: You attend a school which has a lot of people from different backgrounds and a lot of them have people In their families who are many different colors. Here, let me read to you what Angélia Dass says about her family on the Ted Talk:
“I was born in a family full of colors. My father is the son of a maid from whom he inherited an intense dark chocolate tone. He was adopted by those who I know as my grandparents. The matriarch, my grandma, has a porcelain skin and cotton-like hair. My grandpa was somewhere between a vanilla and strawberry yogurt tone, like my uncle and my cousin. My mother is a cinnamon-skin daughter of a native Brazilian, with a pinch of hazel and honey, and a man [who is] a mix of coffee with milk, but with a lot of coffee. She has two sisters. One in a toasted-peanut skin and the other, also adopted, more on the beige side, like a pancake.”
Sam: That makes me hungry Uncle Jim. I am more like a pancake color? I like that Uncle Jim – much better than white. Why does color make a difference?
Me: That is an important question Sam. You know we have talked a lot about bullies not feeling good about themselves. They find some way to convince themselves that they are stronger or more important than other people. Well, in this country some people want to be richer so that they could feel important. They figured if they did not have to pay their workers much they could have more money. So they had to convince themselves that they could do this and still be good people. They called the workers slaves. Someone decided that they would use skin tone or shade and then say that all people who came from Africa were black although as Ms. Dass points out that is not true. Then they made up lies to justify what they believed. They said that black people were dark chocolate and honey and cinnamon and many other colors. They also were not dumb but when you do not let kids go to school or read which made them seem dumb.
Later it was not just the slaves but anyone who looked different including Asians, Native Americans, Middle Easterners and others. At times it was men convincing themselves they were better than women.
Sam: That is mean and stupid Uncle Jim.
Me: Yes it is. So you see it really had nothing to do with color or race or even gender. You will also notice that we have different shapes, different color eyes, and many other small differences, Remember when someone came to your class and divided you up according to eye color. Because you have blue eyes you were in the blue eye group. Then the teacher pretended that all blue eye people were stupid and not nice. That made you and the other kids feel terrible didn’t it. Treating someone different because of their color is the same thing except when we do it for years and years everyone begins to believe the lies and to treat each other and themselves on the basis of the lie.
Sam: At our school everyone is treated well. The teacher does not like it if someone is mean.
Me: That is really good. So is one color better than another.
Sam: I guess not Uncle Jim. I like an … What color did you say I am Uncle Jim?
Me. Antique beige. That is not even close to white it is although white is also a good color.
Sam: That is weird Uncle Jim. Why did I think I was white? I am nothing like the white crayon.
Me: When we hear something over and over again we tend to believe it if we are not careful. You hear the terms while and black a lot but when it comes to people those are not very accurate terms.
Sam: Uncle Jim it seems like every time we talk we find out we were not thinking very well.
Me: That is true Sam. It is easy to begin to think that we have learned a lot about some subject and then we forget to question what we heard.
Sam: It is time for lunch Uncle Jim.
Me: It is nearly time. Is there someplace special you want to go?
Sam: Could be go to a place where I could practice my Spanish Uncle Jim.
Me: We should could. Let’s look at the options. There are three places relatively close.
Sam: Thanks Uncle Jim. Will they like antiques beige people? (She smiles.)
Me: I am sure that they will, Sam. Here, let’s wash up our cups and then we can put the stool and the apron away. I enjoyed our conversation. By the way we are going to have cinnamon rolls later. I put the dough in the refrigerator. Remind me when we get back and we will make the rolls so that they can rise again.
Sam: Okay. Thanks Uncle Jim
Written April 15, 2016
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