Your Racist Friend...

When your read this title were you totally singing this song in your head?

No? Well maybe you didn't have the minor jr. high obsession with They Might Be Giants that I did...

No matter, this song actually has nothing to do with the post, it was just a random little journey down memory lane, and if nothing else, I know that Emily and Nicole are laughing.

So anyway...

At Easter time the kids had ANOTHER vacation from school (I swear, do these kids ever go to school at all?) So in order to protect their safety and my sanity, my friend Stacy and I took her kids and mine to Bluff Fort and for a hike up San Juan Hill. It was fun and informative, and we had a good time, with only one minor explosion at the very end when we were about 3 minutes from home, so all in all we will count it as a win. Of course I forgot my camera because that's what I do when something really fun is about to happen, you know. But if you want to see some photos from our last visit to the fort go HERE.

This area is very near the Navajo reservation, so the majority of the people we met were Navajo. Given the area we come from and the history of the families, I have some pretty racist family members and friends (hence the post title) They aren't wear white sheets and get violent kind of racists, more like racial slurs and stereotypical comment kind of racists, but racist none the less. I on the other hand am fairly culturally competent. That's not to say I'm perfect, and I certainly have some prejudices of my own, but I actually enjoy other races and love to learn about other cultures and heritage. I try to teach my kids to be the same way, and all of my racist friends and family members make jokes about me. It isn't an area of contention, but it isn't a secret that we have different ideas either, and we tease each other back and forth about it all the time.

So after the hike we went to a little cafe for lunch. It is a great place with wonderful food and great service. We were sitting by a window near the back, and outside there was a sign that said "do not drive or park beyond this point" Suddenly a delivery truck started backing up past the sign. He was just making a delivery, I'm sure, but the kids (two of which are on the autism spectrum and therefore NEED to follow rules) were wondering what was going on with this driver. Suddenly Adia pipes up, and in a voice loud enough for the entire town to hear said "I bet he's Navajo so he can't read it." Now, I know that she meant that it wasn't written in Navajo, so if he couldn't read English he might not understand it, but in a restaurant full of Navajo people, it sounded an awful lot like she was saying that Navajo people are illiterate. I was totally embarrassed, but Stacy thought it was hilarious. She had a great time pointing out that even thought I am always giving her a bad time about her racial comments, it was MY daughter who had just offended  the entire restaurant. Geez, I can't take that girl anywhere! I guess maybe me and my racist friend Adia should stay home!