Mcbride's Childhood In The Color Of Water

862 Words4 Pages
Many people like to reminiscence with their families whether they are immediate or extended because it brings back or builds memories for them to enjoy. Reliving a parent’s history can do more than bring back memories for them; it can also subconsciously influence their children’s personality for later on in life. But what would happen if there was a lack of reminiscence with a parent’s child? Would their children still be influenced later in life by their parents without having as much information? In The Color of Water James McBride was raised by a mother who kept her history to herself, sharing very few details when her children brought up the subject. His mother’s main concern-or lack thereof-was the issue of race in her household. Ruth McBride would not tolerate any conversation having to do with the color of skin from her children’s mouth. Although her twelve kids did not know much about their mother’s history they knew race did not, or should not, matter. “Her children became doctors, professors, chemists, teachers-yet none of us even knew her maiden name until we…show more content…
Many times prayer was the only tool keeping her on track with her life. James, as well as her other children, often saw her praying and thought nothing of it at the time. However, as the McBride children grow into adults, one sees them take on the same faith Ruth had. Therefore, the children subconsciously paid attention to their mother’s prayers of faith and let it have a lasting impact on their own lives without realizing it themselves. Because of their mother’s apprehensive tendency to shoot down any questions about race or her history, the McBride children learned that the color of somebody’s skin makes no difference in who they are or the amount of respect they should receive. They were taught that they could love everyone without judging them
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    they were disallowed to marry a different race. With the belief of being the better race, white people would verbally or physically attack African Americans. In James McBride’s memoir, The Color of Water, both son and mother retell their pasts with conflicts, racial identity, and racism against their ethnicity. Although James McBride’s and his Mother’s experience with prejudice differences, they both shared experience of racism

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