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Chapter Eight

 Mariska’s Bittersweet Victory…

 

 

It was a warm afternoon in Manhattan, New York, but Mariska wasn’t bothered by the humid heat that encompassed Bryant Park. Bryant Park was very well known for some of the best pianists from all over New York come to play on the Piano in the Park. Residents and visitors tap their toes to the music of Scott Joplin, the Gershwin’s, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Eubie Blake, and Jelly Roll Morton. Mariska grew very fond of Fats Waller after moving to the Big Apple only months ago. Mariska was born in Yugoslavia to a young Yugoslavian woman and an African American soldier. Mariska’s biological mother did not want to raise a child alone and her biological father was traveling throughout the world and unable to care for the child or her mother. Mariska’s biological parents put her up for adoption and she was placed adoptively by age four. She never met her parents and she has no idea what they look like.

The adopted parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson, met while they were on assignment in Germany working for the government and they married shortly after. The Stevenson’s decided to stay and live in Montenegro. The idea of having little people running around brought happiness to them, however, Mrs. Stevenson felt that they should adopt a child instead of having one because there are so many needy children who need a loving family to care for them. Mariska’s adopted parents saw her in an ad in the Montenegro newspaper and the rest is history.

By the time Mariska was entering into the sixth grade, the Stevenson’s decided to move from Montenegro to New York City and make it their new home. New York took a little getting used to, but Mariska was ready for the challenge. Mariska attended Woodson Elementary School and she quickly became quite a role model. Mariska’s name means bitter in Hebrew, but she was not bitter at all. In fact, she was a very sweet and intelligent little sixth grader who enjoyed being her class president. Mariska’s ideas were always creative and they also somehow brought the students together. Mrs. Swindleton was their Sociology teacher. Mrs. Swindleton was very impressed with Mariska’s passion for learning and sharing her passion with others. Mariska has lived all over Europe and she spoke five different languages. She spoke Serbian (Ljekavian dialect in Montenegro, Yugoslavian), German, French, Spanish, and, of course, English.

 

April was Diversity month at Woodson Elementary School and everyone was planning a festival to recognize all races and ethnicities. “I have an idea, Mrs. Swindleton,” said Mariska. “How about we do a group activity that will help us learn about one another’s race, culture, or ethnicity…like a world calendar,” suggested Mariska.

“That’s a fantastic idea, Mariska! Do we have any other ideas or suggestions?” asked Mrs. Swindleton.

JT grinned demurely raising his hand and asked, “How about an international food fest? That way we could all bring in something to share and help raise money for the football team,” stated JT. Mrs. Swindleton furrowed her eyebrow, “That’s a good idea, JT, but how about we discuss where the proceeds should go. (the class  laughed.) Okay, class we have only a couple minutes left, so I would like Mariska, Charna, Tina, Celeste, Eduardo, Phu, and Deja to work together on organizing a committee for Diversity month. I would like Jenny, Otto, Angelou, Mai, Temitope, JT and Nima to work on the menu for the International food fair. Last, but certainly not least, I would like Abioye, Orenda, Jie, Ananya, Radovan, Grace and Hobert to work together on the posters. Okay class, we will talk more about Diversity month tomorrow, but in the meantime let’s start planning.

The next few weeks, Mariska and her team worked really hard getting the committee together. The committee was ready and the ideas were already in the making. The committee decided to do a name game that would teach the students the meaning of their names and the origin. Mariska came up with an idea for a game that would help with cultural awareness and valuing diversity. Mariska explained to the team how the game works. “First, we form two lines with the equal amount of people. Team A and Team B. Everyone should have a partner facing him or her. Team A will say aloud to his or her partner We are alike because…and say what they think they have in common with one another. Then the partner will say We are alike because…and the partner will say what he or she feels like they have in common. After both partners have spoken, Team A moves the line forward while Team B stays still. This activity will allow Team A to talk with each student and vice versa. After Team A has spoken with everyone from Team B, we start over. This time we will say We are different because…This time Team B moves, while team A stays still. This activity will allow all participants to do the cultural exercise. So, what do you all think?” asked Mariska.

 

“That’s a great game, Mariska,” said Charna.

“And it’s easy to follow,” said Eduardo.

“Thanks, and following the exercise, we will have a brief discussion and talk about what we felt about the exercise,” explained Mariska. The students finished their meeting and went to their next class. 

The Big day…

 

 Woodson Elementary School was decorated so beautifully. Abioye, Orenda, Jie, Ananya, Radovan Grace and Hobert did an excellent job on the posters.

 

 

Author's Note

This is a chapter from my new book, Mixed Race kids of All Nations, it is available on Amazon.com This book has nine chapters that contain short stories about multiracial and multiethnic kids.
$6.99