Here's another song I remember learning as a child in either {summer} Vacation Bible school, or church {Atlantic Cit, New Jersey, 1950s:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children
of the world.

-snip-

Note: this was sung at a time when Black Americans called outselves Negores or Colored people. It was also sung at a time when it was okay to refer to Native Americans as "red" people, and Asian people as "yellow" people. I think that on the conscious level, we repeated the words by rote memory, and it didn't register that we were calling ourselves "black". In the real world, we would have rejected that descriptor. To be called "blackie" was a real insult then {and unfortunately is still considered to be an insult today among African American children who are growing up at a time when "Black" is the accepted informal referent for African American people and other people of African descent}. But on another level, it was nice to know that skin color wasn't/isn't relevant to Jesus since all the little children "are precious in His sight". And maybe this song helped me {and other folks} develop & reinforce a positive sense of group esteem which I believe is an integral part of a positive self-concept.

I'm curious to know if other folks learned "Jesus Loves The Little Children" in their childhood. It would also be interesting to hear how any Native Americans or Asians {who might have learned that song or heard that song} felt about being referred to as "red" or "yellow". Since that "white" referent is still used, I assume that "White people" didn't/don't have any concerns about that particular skin color referent.

But I think that-all things considered-if I had a say so [which I don't have any, I'd probably vote against teaching that song to kids nowadays because I believe that Native Americans and Asians considere "red and yellow" skin color references to be inappropriate or politically incorrect.

**

Besides the African American spiritual, "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands", the only other children's "Bible School song" [?] that I remember-that indirectly anyway- talked about race relations, is this dour line song:

The ink is black,
The page is white.
Together we learn to read & write,
To read and write.

-snip-

Maybe this song didn't/doesn't have anything at all to do with races working together. But that's how I interpreted it as a child-and as and as an adult. I only have a vague memory of this song. It might not have even been a church song.

Here's another song I remember learning as a child in either {summer} Vacation Bible school, or church {Atlantic Cit, New Jersey, 1950s:

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children
of the world.

-snip-

Note: this was sung at a time when Black Americans called outselves Negores or Colored people. It was also sung at a time when it was okay to refer to Native Americans as "red" people, and Asian people as "yellow" people. I think that on the conscious level, we repeated the words by rote memory, and it didn't register that we were calling ourselves "black". In the real world, we would have rejected that descriptor. To be called "blackie" was a real insult then {and unfortunately is still considered to be an insult today among African American children who are growing up at a time when "Black" is the accepted informal referent for African American people and other people of African descent}. But on another level, it was nice to know that skin color wasn't/isn't relevant to Jesus since all the little children "are precious in His sight". And maybe this song helped me {and other folks} develop & reinforce a positive sense of group esteem which I believe is an integral part of a positive self-concept.

I'm curious to know if other folks learned "Jesus Loves The Little Children" in their childhood. It would also be interesting to hear how any Native Americans or Asians {who might have learned that song or heard that song} felt about being referred to as "red" or "yellow". Since that "white" referent is still used, I assume that "White people" didn't/don't have any concerns about that particular skin color referent.

But I think that-all things considered-I'd probably vote against teaching that song to kids nowadays because I believe that Native Americans and Asians consider "red and yellow" skin color references to be inappropriate or politically incorrect.

**

Besides the African American spiritual, "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands", the only other children's "Bible School song" [?] that I remember-that indirectly anyway- talked about race relations, is this dour line song:

The ink is black,
The page is white.
Together we learn to read & write,
To read and write.

-snip-

Maybe this song didn't/doesn't have anything at all to do with races working together. But that's how I interpreted it as a child-and as and I can still see that meaning as an adult. I only have a vague memory of this song. It might not have even been a church song. But that song clip was/is very meaningful-in a positive sense-to me.