Seasoned, Gifted and Black
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The most fabulous women I know are African American and over the age of 60. We are feisty, sassy, and our shoes and purses match. We drive the latest model cars, and have well-manicured lawns in front of homes that we own. Some of us are globetrotting and others are still slaying in the corporate world everyday! Whatever the case, we are Seasoned, Gifted and Black! This blog is for and about us! Interested in a specific topic? Email me at blog@carriedorsey.com
December 21, 2020
Life in Black and White
I was elated when my 10-year-old granddaughter joined me and seemed to be enjoying watching The Andy Griffith Show marathon during the Thanksgiving holiday. It was a show I enjoyed as a kid and now here she was two generations later as fixated on it as I had been. She and I followed the antics of Andy, Barney, Aunt Bee and of course, the all important Opie for a few episodes. After about the third episode, she asked, “Grandma, did people come in colors back then?” I answered, “No baby, television didn’t have color back in the day. All the shows were black and white.”
“No. Did people come in colors back then?” she repeated slowly as she often does when she thinks I have a comprehension problem.
I looked at her, suddenly realizing the gravity of what she was asking; wondering if she realized the gravity of what she was asking. It was like being asked, Where do babies come from? I was kind of petrified. How much did she need to know and how could I address the question at her level of understanding?
She, like my children, was being raised in a multi-cultural world; so unlike the world I lived in during Andy and Opie’s days. Living in Washington, DC, she sees people of all races, creeds, colors, persuasions, everywhere, doing all kinds of normal everyday things. When she turns on her television she sees a myriad of people living normal cinematic lives. Would she understand de jure and de facto segregation? Should I tell her about redlining and apartheid? Could she grasp the concepts of ghettos and housing projects? What about Sunday night and The Ed Sullivan Show? How about Kingfish, Sapphire, and Lightnin? Or what about Rochester? Then along came Julia.
Her question – “Did people come in colors?”
My answer – “Of course they did. Just like then do now. Let’s watch the Disney channel.”
Where is Ralph Ellison when you need him?
