A conversation with my preschooler about black history month (before I knew it was a conversation about black history month)
Her: My teacher said I could be Rosie Barker.
Me: Who’s Rosie Barker?
Her: She was a woman who got in the wrong lane.
Me: She got in the wrong lane? What does that mean?
Her: She was supposed to be in the black lane, but she got in the white lane. Then the police arrested her.
Me: Do you mean Rosa Parks?
Her: That’s what I said. My teacher said I could be her, and I got a cookie because I was paying attention.
Me: Oh- that’s good.
Her: Conner got to be the other one.
Me: What other one?
Her: The first one.
Me: I don’t know what you mean.
Her: He lived in the white house.
Me: You mean the president? George Washington?
Her: No. My friend Trinity was going to be him. She got a cookie for paying attention too. But she didn’t want to be him. She wanted to me Michelle- because she’s a girl.
Me: Trinity was Michelle . . . . Obama?
Her: Yes, and Conner was the other one, but he didn’t get a cookie.
Me: Conner was President Obama right?
Her: Yeah- that, but he’s a boy.
