I sat in front of a black father and daughter on the bus today. The father and daughter were both bilingual and lapsed into English and another language which I couldn't identify. The young girl about 10 years old was drawing a diagram of toy she wanted to build but couldn't find in town.
Nothing unusual you might say and it shouldn't be but it is. We know the statistics when it comes to race and gender.
This young girls conversation was so interesting I had to turn back and look. She was independent and articulate we got talking about making her own toys and her pursuing higher education. Her father beamed when I said your daughter has a gift. The little girl's eyes shone she put pen to paper and drew some more. We got talking about this soft toy with LED eyes and how she could make some of her own toys and even bigger things. She told me about making a toy with wooden pegs and adding some interesting features to it. I was so charmed by this intelligent girl I had to say to her "do a PhD".
Too many children go unappreciated especially black children. We teach them to be delicate, quiet and plaint but we don't teach them to be clever or to be proud of their talents.
This young girl shouldn't be an exception but a rule.
