some lights seem eternal
in this springtime of hope

Jesus from Jamaica

February 17, 2005
My students have written puppet shows and are now in the preproduction phase of the shows. This entails them making puppets for the show and anything else they feel is needed to present their short productions of �the healing miracles of Jesus.�

Today�s controversy was between my student from the Caribbean, who is of African descent and his partner who is lily white and from the Midwestern United States. Rasta, as we might call him, was making Jesus and the other boy that we will call Lily White, the pastor�s son, was making a different character. Rasta made Jesus black, and we all know that Jesus was white with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a brown uniform with a red spider on the sleeve or that was Newt Gingrich in college and we are unsure of what Jesus looked like.

However, Rasta decided he was black and Jesus was too. Lily was displeased enough to leave class and find his dad to expose my heresy under the pretense of using the bathroom. I not only allowed Jesus to black, I helped Rasta make Jesus look like him with dreadlocks, here is black Jesus, the beard does not come with the standard fourth grader but perhaps on a thirty year old.

The pastor, thankfully, did not see the problem with black Jesus and neither did any other child. He also, regrettably, did not see the problem with his son lying to me and leaving the building during school.

Three other groups decided that they would have black Jesus as well, but none have those snazzy dreadlocks. I do not think Jesus was black, or white, or that it matters what color Jesus was. Christian or not, his teachings are still important and valid today not matter who taught them. As a white man teaching children of color it is important that I remember that their color is a big part of who they are and how they think of themselves.

I would hate to be reading someday about a successful former student who pointed back to their horrible school memory being their tenure in my room. I have bad memories from my school days, big scars that shape who I am as teacher. I would rather not leave those scars on someone else but today someone had to be scarred and it was not going to be Rasta, not for being black and having the audacity to think that his closeness to God was on the level of being �created in his image� just like any other kid.

I made an example puppet, it looks like me when my hair was blonde.

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