Mary Hoffman's story, Amazing Grace, focuses on Grace, an imaginative African American girl who loves theatrics. She would pretend to be characters, such as Joan of Arc, Anansi the Spider, wooden gates of Troy, pirates, Hiawatha (Big-Sea-Water), Aladdin, and Mowgli. When Grace wants to try out for the play Peter Pan, her classmates tell her she cannot audition because she's a girl and African American. After she tells her mother and grandmother about the students' remarks, Grace's grandmother shows her a young African American woman who is from her grandmother's neighborhood and who is staring in Romeo and Juliet. With her mother and grandmother's help to practice, Grace lands the role in the play and makes a fabulous performance.
In my classroom, I would use Amazing Grace with my students to help promote equity within my classroom community. In regards to Natalie's comment about Grace being black, I would discuss with the students why her comment was inappropriate and inaccurate. Also, I would talk with the students about how we should treat each other in the classroom.
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