My name is Charlton McIlwain. I am a professor of Media, Culture & Communication at New York University where I study and teach about racial issues in American life.
Here's something that happened to me last summer while at the beach in Delaware. I walked out of the house to our spot and three White girls are playing with my son, who is with his mom, playing with his mountain of toys. The dad of two of the girls is there with them. I sit down and just sit back and observe. My son starts to get a bit fussy, so one of the girls suggests he wants to quit playing with his shovel. A couple of minutes later, she says, "maybe you should give him to 'HIM'(referring to me). Interesting...
A few minutes later, the older girl, who is 6 and is very chatty asks, "Are you his dad?" , "Yep," I say as I notice all of the girls looking at Marcus, then my wife, then me, and back and forth. "HUMPH!" the 6 year old says with a puzzled look on her face. "A Black and a White," she says. "Yeah," I say, just waiting for what was coming next. "And him, another black. So, two Black and a White. HUMPH!" she exclaims again.
Their Mom called them back to their own tent for snacks shortly after...
I'm interested in hearing your story of the funniest, most interesting, curious, alarming or crazy thing you've ever heard a child say about race/color, etc.? Whether it was your own child who said it, or you as a child - whether it was last week or twenty years ago, please tell us your story below and answer as many of the questions as you're comfortable with answering.
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If you wish to contact me directly you may do so at cdm1@nyu.edu
Thanks for your participation!