2nd Annual King Party

This morning we had our 2nd Annual 'Reedom Fing Party.  Sloan took the day off (his is employed by an Australian company, so MLK wasn't a holiday for him) and we invited over some friends and their kids.  Not a huge party--just Henry's bestie Nathan and some families from the orphan care community at our church.  Sure, not the most ethnically or racially diverse crew, but we were a group of people who came together to chat, have fun, and praise God for the work He did through Martin Luther King, Jr. 

We served "integrated" foods--Oreos, yogurt covered pretzels and raisins, and Swiss Cake Rolls, and every family invited brought a snack to share.  I wanted to make cracker candy--caramel topped graham crackers dotted with sesame seeds and almonds.  Sloan told me I was already pushing it with the Oreos, but cracker candy would just be inappropriate.  I was only joking with the themed food, but I guess he was right.  (Honestly, I was just looking for an excuse to make the candy as we've eaten all I made for Christmas...)

We had a craft.  Or, to be more accurate, a craft was offered.  No one did the craft.  Henry and I made an example one on Saturday, but our guests preferred to play with our toys and the play doh set out.  Oh well.  Loren did paint with the peach and brown paints, but not the butterfly craft. 

I displayed the books we have that either focus on Martin Luther King, Jr., diversity, or simply have AA protagonists.  I also copied off a list my friend Kristen gave me of her kids' multicultural books list on Goodreads.  (Yes, her elementary school age white daughters living in Birmingham, Alabama who intentionally are sent to a predominantly black school have a Good Reads account.  Thank you, MLK!)

After the kids had played for awhile and Henry had eaten roughly a dozen of my friend Tracy's Heath Chocolate Chip cookies, we gathered in the family room to read stories.  I told the kids we were getting together to celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.  We celebrated his birthday because God used him to tell people that all of us were made in God's image.  That Martin knew it wasn't right to be mean to people because of their skin color and he told people to stop it.  (To which one of the 4 year olds commented, "Its not right to be mean to anybody."  2 points for him!)  I read a board book about Martin Luther King, Jr and then Dr. Suess' The Sneetches.  Because "I'm quite happy to say that the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day, the day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches and no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.  That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether they had one, or not, upon thars."

I thought about reading the speech or another one of our favorite books, Martin's Big Words, but with 7 kids ranging from 5 days old to 4, and our lone 12 year old, I knew I only had 5 minutes to work with.  And even that was a bit chaotic.  Sure, I envisioned us reading stories and then standing to hold hands and sing Jesus Loves the Little Children and We Shall Overcome and then sitting to watch the "I Have a Dream" speech. 

Not so much.  Most of these kids were on an Oreo and Swiss Cake Roll high.  And in truth, they were playing together.  Kids with heritages ranging from Germany, Japan, Africa, Sweden, Wales.  White kids cuddling their biracial siblings and friends.  A tween selling earrings she made to help the orphanage in which her Ethiopian brothers reside until they come home this Spring or Summer.  And this, I think, is making Martin smile.  To see children of all different backgrounds sharing their toys with one another.  Playing together.  Laughing together.  Being told to "put that cookie back" together.     

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. "

Martin Luther King, Jr.