"We're all just people...

...watching the same rainbow then?"

 The innocence in her big, blue eyes hurt my heart.

She sighed and cuddled in closer to me, content with my answer.  

I was not content.  I wished that I had more eloquent answers to the difficult question she asked me. 

Our conversation had started when we were laying on the daybed in my office together after school.   We were practicing first grade reading.   It was a fascinating story of a unicorn and a dragon becoming friends.

Halfway through the book she paused with a troubled look on her face.

"Grandma?" she said in her squeaky little voice, "Can I ask you something?  You won't get mad at me?"

"Mo, you can ask me anything and, no, I won't get mad at you."

She paused for a moment.  I could see the confusion clouding the clarity of her eyes.

"Okayyyy...ummm...Grandma.   Kid's were saying that we need to put the White back in the White House today.  And I ...ummm...wonder if that's true."

Wow.   Deep subject.  I am quite private in my political beliefs.  I recognize my views will not influence anyone elses and I choose not to publicize my feelings on these subjects.  I was really astonished to hear this question, though.

This child is in first grade.

"Well, Mo.   Do you know what that means?"

She hesitated and then said, "Well, Grandma.   It's because our President has brownish-black skin, right?"

Gulp.

I hoped for a distraction of epic proportions but nothing happened.

Gulp.

"Okay," I said.  "What color is your skin?"

"Pink," she replied.

"And what color is my skin?"

"Ummm...kind of yellowish with light brown spots."  

Hmmm... okay.   Close enough.

"And what color is Diego's skin?"

"Kind of light brown."

I continued, "So, Miss Mo.   None of us have the same color skin, right?  And there are kids in your school with reddish skin and brownish skin and blackish skin, right?"

She agreed.

I hoped again for a distraction.

No such luck.

She watched me intently.

 My mind raced.

"You told me at recess today there was a rainbow, right?"

 

 

"Right, Grandma!   All the kids were shouting 'rainbow! rainbow!'  It was cool!"

"So, Mo.  Did only the kids with the pink skin shout 'rainbow! rainbow!'?" I continued.

She thought for a moment.  

"Nope.   ALL the kids were shouting!"

"Are you sure?" I asked her.  "Maybe only the kids with the pink skin and the light brown skin were shouting.  Maybe none of the kids with the yellow skin and the black skin were shouting.   Maybe..."

She interrupted me, "No!   No, Grandma.   All the kids were shouting 'rainbow! rainbow!'.

"Okay, Mo.   So do you think people with different colored skin see things differently than you?"

She thought for a second.   "No.   We all have the same eyes, right Grandma?"

I agreed.  "We do all have the same eyes, Mo.   But maybe we don't all have the same hearts.   Maybe some people decide if people are good or bad based on the color of their skin."

She snuggled in closer.  

I continued, "The thing is, Mo, it's not really as simple as that, but that's part of why people say we need to put the 'White' back in the White House.   The rest is really, really hard to understand."

"Okay, Grandma.    So what you're saying is that we're all just people watching the same rainbow?"

 

 

"Yeah," I said softly.  "Kind of like that Mo.   We're all just people watching the same rainbow."