This Revolution Just Might Be Televised

Bambina and I watched some of the President's (I love saying that!) speech at the Congressional Luncheon (you know, the one where both Kennedy and Byrd had health incidents). I was explaining to her why this was such a historic day in American history, and it just led us down all kinds of conversational paths. We talked about those old days when people who weren't white weren't allowed to do certain things and weren't thought of as smart as white people, etc. I realized, as I was explaining that African-Americans, Black people, have African ancestry/Asian-Americans have ancestors from one of several countries in Asia, that she doesn't really get race yet. She completely thinks she is the same as Barack Obama because "his skin is the same color as mine; well, he's a *little* lighter than me, but we're both still brown." My point was that African-Americans in particular were the focus of the civil rights movement (which is not to say that life was a picnic for our Chinese immigrant friends back in the day), but she's not having it. Which is fine with me, because any day my child sees a person with whom she identifies running the country, that is a good day. Now I just have to get a bunch of states to ratify a constitutional amendment allowing naturalized US citizens who have lived continuously in the US since, let's say, the age of 12 months, to be eligible for the Presidency. Doesn't it seem a *wee* bit ludicrous that someone not born in the USA but genuinely, technically a lifelong citizen cannot run? I mean, I moved here at 8 years old, who knows what kind of espionage fantasies I harbor, right? Fair enough on blocking me. But a 9 month old baby? Let's be real. Bambina For President!! :)

Speaking of civil rights, I was telling her about MLK when I realized that it all started with Ms. Rosa Parks. So I told her the story of the bus boycott, and Miz Rosa saying that she was not moving from her seat on the bus because what does skin color have to do with bus seating, and how that started it all; that it took just one woman saying "Enough is Enough" to start a ball rolling that changed the world. She LOVES this story, so I had to tell it over and over again. After the 12th retelling Bambina said, "Mama, there is something I want to tell you." Okay. "You know what I would have done if I was Rosa Parks?" "No my love, tell me!"
"I would have karate-kicked that bus driver and put him in jail till he listened to my words."

So now you know. For all of you sick of hope and change and positive, nonviolent blah-dee-blah, Semiviolent Resistance will be the cornerstone of the Bambina Revolution.