| I want to add something. If your DS is shy, he may not verbalize just how much it bothers him that others treat him differently. He has 2 things going against him. 1) he is Black and some kids might be prejudice and 2) he is a Black child with a White sibling, another thing that others might frown upon.
I have come across 2 types of people. One type are the prejudice types. They aren't around other cultures enough to understand them. For example, I was raised that Mexicans are dirty people. When I went to Mexico, I discovered that their sewage isn't as advanced as ours so they have to throw their toilet paper in the trash, which is in every stall. However, when they come to our country, the men have no trash cans in the stalls so they throw their poopy paper in the trash when the men wash their hands. Since others don't understand the culture, they assume these men are dirty. It is mostly lack of knowledge of the culture.
The other type aren't prejudice. However, they are afraid to discuss the fact that an individual is of a different race or even discuss racial differences. I encountered this in an elevator. I embarrassed this Black girl, on purpose because I am a practical joker. I told her to push the 6 button when we only have 4 floors. I commented that I embarrassed her so badly that I could see her blushing through her dark completion. I was with my boss and fellow office workers. You would have thought I said something bad! Nobody wants to talk about the fact that someone is Black, Italian, or anything. We should be open and discuss it freely. It is good when I hear college students discuss such things. For example, one Black girl was wanting to date some cute guys. One girl asked her if she dated Black guys only or if she was open to other races? Why not ask that? That isn't bad. The girl knew some cute guys of various races and she wanted to know what the Black girl's areas of interest are for dating. I think opening the line of communication helps everyone understand each other.
|