In my post yesterday I spoke about some of the racism growing up that I witnessed. There is more.
I had cousins that were adopted that were black and teenagers. I was a teenager at the time. When we went to the grocery store they got lots of attention. I couldn’t believe that because there were no black people in our small town, they would get so much attention. I could see how people reacted to them and it wasn’t warm and welcoming. I apologized to my black cousins and they were cool about it.
I didn’t understand why people got so focused on the color of someone’s skin. Their appearance is the least important part of someone. As a kid, I shared that I was fat and I got teased for being fat. So I realized that people who tease and hurt others because of how they look are really shallow and mean people and ignore them. I never liked anyone who made fun of anyone else no matter what the reason.
My black cousins grew up in a predominately white state and I am sure that was very difficult for them. I can only imagine that they would constantly be made to feel different and I didn’t know how to fix society’s problem. The truth is that we can’t fix it by ourselves, but we need everyone’s cooperation. That is why it makes me confused and disappointed when people still judge others by appearances.
Any of us could get into a car accident and become ugly. Any of us could have any number of horrible things happen and lose our health, wealth, and everything else we have worked for. Why do we think we are special because of what we have? We are special because of the love and the way we treat others. Color has nothing to do with someone’s ability to contribute.