#648 The Lesson- Toni Cade Bambara
“Back in the days when everyone was old and stupid or young and foolish me and Sugar were the only ones just right, this lady moved on our block with nappy hair proper speech and no makeup. And quite naturally we laughed at her.”
That woman ended up being Miss Moore, a strange woman to the neighborhood but trusted enough to be allowed to teach the children some things. On a field trip they all went to F.A.O. Schwartz to marvel at the toys and gawk at the outrageous prices. She let the children imagine how long it would take to save that much money, how the price of one toy could feed a family in their community for a year, etc.
It was a duel lesson of how the world is not fair and how we are a product of our environment. Seeing these things could help us change these things, or at least not fall victim to the effects they have over us.
“Where we are is who we are…but it doesn’t always have to be that way.”
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