Julia Talks Civil Rights

In the wake of Martin Luther King Day and in preparation for Presidents Day, Julia had some questions about civil rights:

JULIA:  Mom?  Did the man who shot Martin Luther King have, like, LIGHT skin?
ME: Yes.  Remember how you learned there were people who didn't want African Americans to be equal and to get the same rights as everyone else?
JULIA: Yeah.
ME: Well, someone who believed those kinds of things shot Martin Luther King.
JULIA: You mean, like, to try and STOP him from making things equal?
ME: Yes.  And there was a president named John F. Kennedy who was also in favor of what's called civil rights, meaning equality for everyone, who was shot.
JULIA: So, like, to try and STOP him?
ME: Yes.  But it didn't work.  The very next president, Lyndon Johnson, was also a believer in equality, and he helped pass the Civil Rights amendment and make sure that all people were treated equal.  Aren't you glad the man who shot John F. Kennedy wasn't able to stop equality from happening?
JULIA: Yeah.  And, also, aren't you glad we don't LIVE back in those times?
ME: Yes!  Aren't we lucky that we were born in a time when we have so much more equality?
JULIA: Yeah.  Because, like, there's a girl in my class who might have the darkest skin in class, but she's still my friend!
ME: Exactly.  It doesn't matter what color our skin or our eyes or our hair is, or whether we're a boy or a girl, we're all HUMAN BEINGS.
JULIA: Yeah.  And isn't that the way it should be?  You can be friends if, like, one person likes kittens and the other person likes butterflies!
ME: Right.  And sometimes there are people who you might not be friends with.  And that's okay, too, as long as you still act kindly towards them and you don't do anything that's hurtful or mean.
JULIA: Yeah!  But...Mom?  What if there was a CAT who wanted to play HOPSCOTCH?

I think she really gets it.

Hopscotch for all!  Whether human or feline, we all have the right to play!