Preserving Diverse Voices: They Tore Up My Chapter and Threw Out My Book
In a world where books and language are the vessels of history and legacy, I penned a tale that encapsulated my story, my family’s narrative, and the profound themes of love, pain, injustice, and bias. Yet, they deemed my story too harsh for their children’s tender hearts, shying away from the truth they didn’t wish their offspring to comprehend or empathize with. For generations, our traditions and heritage were passed down through oral tales and family gatherings, forging a balanced understanding of our world.
As Langston Hughes wrote in his poignant poem “Mother to Son,” “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor — Bare.” Just like the mother in the poem, I’ve been a-climbin’ on, reaching landin’s, and turnin’ corners. Sometimes, I’ve even ventured into the dark, where there ain’t been no light.
Yet, just as the mother’s guidance to her son in the poem echoes in our world today, I implore those who wish to tear up my chapter and cast aside my book: “So, my boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you sit down on those steps ’Cause you find it’s kinda hard. Don’t you stumble now — For I’m still goin’, my sweet, I’m still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”
In the past, slaves were forbidden to learn to read and write. Today, some descendants of slave owners seek to prevent their children from grasping the genuine nature of our country’s evolution and societal progress.
When your child observed my child engrossed in a book during a visit to our home, a sense of curiosity stirred within them. Upon returning to school and not finding the same book there, a series of questions emerged. It became a moment of introspection. What message would you choose to convey to your child regarding my child’s narrative? Would you be willing to withhold the truth? Your child wondered why this particular book was absent from their school’s collection. They had encountered poignant stories as they perused its pages, and upon returning home, they shared their discovery with you. In response, what words of guidance and explanation would you provide to them?
You aspire to a color-blind society, one that overlooks the unique challenges born of bigotry and discrimination. They strive to narrow the context of who you and I are.
The most crucial chapter and the most vital book are the ones that expose you to the truth, to life’s harsh realities and the journey towards a more perfect union. It’s disheartening and self-serving to realize that you choose not to understand me.
I see you. I see what you’re attempting to do to your children and their minds.
Effenus Henderson
