Art and Thinking Twice

With the end of the school year, I had the pleasure of reviewing all the kids’ artwork from their art classes. What a surprise I found- I love learning new things about my kids and the way they think. It makes me think about how the stuff we talk about at home impacts what they say and do out in the world.

All 3 are in summer camps this week, so I find myself with a few hours of spare time. Wouldn’t you know it- accompanied by a terrible head cold. I am so mad about it- going on day 5. Instead of enjoying the nice weather and going for a walk or yoga class, I find myself at home, sniffling, doped up on medicine and napping. It could be worse I suppose- I know. So, I’ll quit whining.

Back to the artwork. Second, Most Honorable Son drew the above piece. By itself it doesn’t say much. Accompanied by this caption- however – it speaks volumes.

The world is a whole place with diversity in it. Black, brown, white, yellow, tan, every color of the rainbow. Every color is needed and it is a beautiful thing. Words captured by a 10-year-old boy on how he views the world.

Here is Big Boy’s self-reflection pastel portrait. Loving it and so proud of my boys. They never fail to amaze me. This morning while watching CNN, a commercial for UNICEF came up with Alyssa Milano as the voice-over. As we heard about the “poor children who are starving and dying in the world because of lack of food,” I asked them- does this commercial make you think twice about throwing away your food and not eating it? No- they responded. “It makes us wonder why they only show black and brown children?” I was shocked. I had never thought about that commercial in that way. Despite seeing it or versions of it throughout the past 30 years of my life. Well said, my boys. Well said. In so many ways- through television, social media stories, throughout history and how it’s presented to us are we only shown part of the story, through a lens of bias, stereotypes and assumptions.

How many other things out there do I just dismiss and not think twice about how or what the message is that is being presented to me/us? There is much to think about here.

 

The Keeping Quilt

Hello friends and Happy Friday!

Racing around with all the end of year school activities- Big Boy graduates from middle school and 2nd Most Honorable Son from elementary school and my emotions are all over the place as we prepare for yet more transitions. On Saturday, my Momma flies in from Southern California to visit and be here in solidarity and support- thank goodness for Mommas!

We continue to read, read and read. Our WeStories launch kick-off is on Saturday as well and we join a cohort of other like-minded families in the St. Louis area who desire to learn about how to talk about race and identity with our young children in positive, healthy ways.  We will receive a book-bag with four multicultural books and meet the other families in our cohort- so excited for this journey to begin!

I promised to highlight one multicultural book a week so here’s another gem we found. This week’s book selection is a tear-jerker- at least it was for me. About 2 pages from the end, I burst out crying as I read the page to Baby Girl. That’s not why I picked it though.

The Keeping Quilt’s story tells the reader of the author’s ancestors’ journey from Russia to New York City. It is a tale of several generations and at the center of the story is a handmade quilt made out of Great-Gramma Anna’s babushka, Uncle Vladamir’s shirt, Aunt Havalah’s nightdress and Aunt Natasha’s apron. The quilt is used by four different generations as a Sabbath tablecloth, a wedding canopy, a welcoming blanket for new babies and finally, the quilt used at bedside as each generation passes from this life to the next.

Truly a beautiful story to share with your child that shows the Russian immigrant perspective and how it’s possible to hold onto the fabric of our cultures, the stories that frame our family history and at the same time adapt to the American way of life.

Happy reading, warm snuggles and just keep those tissues handy if you’re anything like me.

Napi Makes a Village

Super excited about a project I am currently working on. Volunteering with the nonprofit organization- WeStories out of St. Louis, I am working with a group of gals to create a list of multicultural books for 5 year-old kids! Once the lists have been thoroughly analyzed and discussed and agreed to upon by the larger group, WeStories will then begin distribution of the lists throughout the St. Louis region to schools, libraries, families, and well, just about anyone who might be interested in them.

I’ve been spending lots of time at the public library, the school library and in my home doing research by reading dozens of books with Baby Girl. It has been so much fun reading with her and it’s been interesting to see how she gravitates towards certain books and how the words stay with her.

Each week, I will try to share one multicultural book here on the blog. I find that there is a real lack of information/resources in this space so thinking it might be cool to put it out there.

This week’s book is Napi- Makes a Village (Funda un Pueblo) by Antonio Ramirez Domi. We read this story a few times about a Mazateca girl in the region of Oaxaca, Mexico that journeys to build a new village in a remote area away from her current village. The images are colorful and powerful with deep metaphors. The concept of family and cultural heritage is strong. The girl realizes how brave and strong she herself can be because of who she is and where she and her ancestors come from when she faces a family crisis.

Tell me what you think- looking for more books- if you have ideas on multicultural books- please share them! I need to read as many books as possible. Off to read and research!

A Painting and Celebration of Diversity

Over the past few weeks, Big Boy’s middle school has had St. Louis painter and illustrator Cbabi Bayoc painting on campus. He painted a mural that now hangs in the school main lobby and the central messages and themes are around Diversity, Celebrating Culture and Loving Yourself. We attended the grand opening reception. Here is a picture of the mural:

Word of mouth has spread about Cbabi Bayoc through Facebook and other social media via his project titled “365 Days with Dad.” In 2012, he set out to meet a self-imposed goal of creating one painting a day for 365 days that depicted African-American fathers in ordinary and extraordinary moments with their children. Click here to go to his website and learn more about Cbabi Bayoc and his artwork.

In conjunction with this artist in residence, Big Boy’s visual arts class was given an assignment to explore through their own design, who they saw themselves as. The question posed to them was- “What is your Cultural Identity?” I always find it eye-opening to read something so personal about anyone and so much more when it’s your own child. His thoughts really took me by surprise.

Here’s a picture of his skateboard painting that accompanied his short essay.

Yes, dear boy- things are always changing. Life changes from dark to light and heavy to light. Given this past year of complete change, it’s interesting to note how this journey is showing up in your art. In so many ways, we are blessed by your spirit and energy.