A friend of mine was on the subway near three middle school-aged kids—an Asian boy, a Latina, and a Middle Eastern girl wearing a hijab, the headscarf worn by many Muslim women.
The boy turned to the Middle Eastern girl and asked, “Why do you wear that thing on your head?”
The Latina interrupted. “It’s, like, her culture, don’t you know that?”
They proceeded to have a perfectly friendly discussion of the practicalities of wearing a hijab—for instance, that she can take it off at home, and therefore is able to brush her hair.
How about that—kids can talk openly about culture. They can ask questions.
Sometimes progress marches, and sometimes it takes the subway.
