My son's 1st grade class spent a lot of last week learning about Martin Luther King jr. in preparation for the upcoming holiday. I thought this was great. It was amazing listening to my son tell me why the "blacks and whites" were kept separate, and to hear how he interpreted the history he was learning. He doesn't understand the depth of what went on, and I tried explaining how Dr. King was fighting for civil rights, and equality. I'm not sure how much went over his 6 year old head but I was really impressed with his teacher for starting that discussion at such an early age.

My son then went on to ask me "Mom, remember when I was a black?"

"Um, no."

"You know, that summer I went camping, and my skin was dark?"
"Oh, yes, I remember that, but you were tan.. from the sun. Being black or white is something that you're born with"
"Oh, like my brown eyes?"
"Exactly."