They walked around a few corners onto Himmel Street, and Alex said, “Son, you can’t go around painting yourself black, you hear?” Rudy was interested, and confused. The moon was undone now, free to move and rise and fall and drip on the boy’s face, making him nice and murky, like his thoughts. “Why not, Papa?” “Because they’ll take you away.” “Why?” “Because you shouldn’t want to be like black people or Jewish people or anyone who is … not us.”
Racism being taught.
Love that Rudy's spirit remained undaunted and he acted on his compassion throughout in a time where fear drove others to conformity.
