Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Beverly Daniel Tatum

To start, I  appreciated the beginning of this book. Tatum relates this tale, and this is how I try to live my life…”A young girl was walking along a beach. To her amazement, she came upon thousands of starfish. Washed ashore by a storm, they were dying in the hot sun. The girl began to toss starfish back into the sea, one by one. After a while, a man approached her. “Little girl,” he asked, “why are you doing this? There are thousands of starfish on the beach. You cannot possibly hope to make a difference!” The girl was discouraged, and dropped the starfish in her hand. But a moment later, she bent down, picked up the starfish again, and tossed it as far as she could into the sea. She turned back to the man. Smiling brightly, she said, “I made a difference to that one!” Inspired, he joined her. A crowd had gathered, and soon others joined in. Before long, there were hundreds of people tossing starfish back into the sea and calling out, “I made a difference to that one!” After a while, their calls subsided. The girl looked up. To her amazement, she saw no starfish on the beach. Each one had been tossed back into the sea.”  

What a powerful image. Everyone truly has the power to make a difference in someone’s life!

This book is about race and the impact it has on children. This is certainly something I have struggled with in my own life. Race is a serious conversation, a conversation too often avoided. Tatum opens that conversation and her analysis is detailed and important.

My daughter made a comment that resonated.  I love her for being a thinker. She asked me why people say her friend is Mexican. She said “Mom, she has never even been to Mexico!” I love that she boiled it down to the very heart of the matter. Why is it so necessary for people to label? Why can’t we all just be American? If I gave a recount of every country in my heritage I would have to introduce myself as Native, African, Irish, English, German American. How ridiculous is that? I’m simply an American. I chose not to be defined by labels. I’m me…the end.