Your Mom rocks--but you all knew that. While some may mistake her mild mannered nature as passive, they are wrong. So here is the story.
Mom gets an e-mail from the ward RS Pres. asking for 'sisters' to have service activity to make quiet bags for the Marshallese children in our ward. Of course, these would be the Caucasian sisters giving service. So, mom seeing the inherent racism (my words) writes back a nice e-mail very diplomatically pointing out the inherent racism in the request and offering an alternative in which women of all races can get together to make bags for families with children of all races. Might even help these women to make friendships (in spite of the language barriers).
The "service project" approach that is also the Colonialist approach often used in Africa--or the ableist approach non-disabled folks use who want to "serve" disabled folk.
Dad
You rock my socks off Mommy! How did they respond to your idea that the Marshallese may not best be served by a racial divide?
ReplyDeleteElizabeth wrote back and said there had already been an activity for everyone to come and make Sunday bags, none of the Marshall Islands sisters attended. She said that the teacher of the Marshallese Sunday school class ( a Marshallese herself) had requested the bags to hand out after she gives a lesson on reverence. So, Oh well.
ReplyDeleteWell hey, you got awareness out there about why that could be racist. Way to go!!! I hope you're enjoying your vacation!
ReplyDelete