MLK Day Parade

 We joined Amara's school for the 25th Annual MLK Day Parade in El-Cerrito.
This years march was in honor of Nelson Mandela.
Two great men who led the way for so many.

It is never too early to teach our children.
I have long talked to my girls about my hero, Nelson Mandela.
And the trials and tribulations he endured as he followed his path
on the journey of his life.

Today we talked about Martin Luther King.
Tomorrow we will talk about the others;
Who sometimes used non-violence;
But who sometimes did whatever they had to;
"By any means necessary" stated Malcom X.

I have not shied away from the details of slavery, apartheid, racism.
My children are young;
But they need to know;
The truth of how this country was formed;
No matter how gory and brutal.
My children, and all children, Need to know.
And whenever there is a teaching moment, like when we were in Georgia, surrounded by cotton fields,
I use it to teach my girls of the history of our country

It's a great country but it wasn't always.
We have our shadows; we have a long way to go.

So we marched to support our school and to help remind others of the past,
the present and
how we want our future to be.