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“Mommy, can you come to my potluck tomorrow?” my youngest daughter asked today.
“No, baby…your school scheduled it during working hours, and I am presenting at the Congressional Black Caucus at that time…I’m sorry, baby,” I said.
“Who is Congressional Black Caucus?” she asked in her sweetest, five-year old voice.
I laughed, relieved that she seemed to understand the demands of the working mother. I explained to her about the U.S. government and its legislative branch. It was the most elementary version of social studies I could muster.
She nodded, as if she understood and then asked, “Well, then…what are you going to say?”
Hmm, I thought. I’m presenting a brief overview of the history of African American wealth accumulation and denial, as a precursor to a discussion about subprime lending and other practices that have denied wealth or directly correlated with a loss of wealth to African Americans…
How do you explain that to a five year old?
“Mommy’s going to talk about how hard it has been for African Americans to own a home and why that’s important,” I said. It was the best I could do, as I walked her into her preschool.
She nodded, somewhat satisfied. Lucky for me, she quickly became preoccupied with discovering what each of her friends was wearing for “picture day.”
It was nothing more than a moment in the day of the life of a working mom…Of course, there’s a lot more to the story of African American wealth accumulation and denial.
If you are in Washington, DC and planning to attend the 2009 Congressional Black Caucus conference, stop by the session being convened by Congressman Al Green, from the Ninth Congressional District in Texas. Details are noted below:
Congressman Al Green
“Stolen Legacy: How Racial Government Policies Denied African American Wealth”
Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Friday, September 25, 2009
12:30 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.
Admission is free and open to the public
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