There’s a time and space for all things and there is a time to stop and reflect on the current events. I am normally not one to give my opinion on politics, religion, or other controversial topics, but this situation needs everyone’s voice, mine included. I grew up on a cattle and horse ranch in South Georgia, yet in my household, I don’t ever remember experiencing racism.
I have always been surrounded by people of all races and creed. Mozella was like a second mother to me. She was a big beautiful black woman that gave the most amazing hugs and taught us how to make beef stew and southern style drop biscuits. We were loved by an Irish nanny that taught us how to fold sheets and eat with two hands, European style; and Latin ranch foreman that treated us like his own children and made wooden furniture with our names on them, just to name a few.
I was taught not about race, but about heritage, kindness, and love. I am brown, with brown hair and squinty brown eyes. My fellow middle schoolers would constantly ask me what I was… trying to guess, half black? Half Latin? Half Chinese?
To me race is not actually a thing, it’s a human construct meant to separate us. Instead of creating a divide, we need to celebrate the wonderful things that make us different; ethnicity, culture, passion! We are one race, human. We all have the same stuffing inside of our skin and our eyes and ears and noses are a beautiful reflection of the origins of our ancestors. Without all of our differences, we would not be as beautiful, diverse, creative, inventive, and truly amazing as a society. Now, I don’t want to sugarcoat the issues we have as a society, because we have some serious problems.
We need to teach and set an example for each other every day, with every exchange and interaction, that we love and celebrate our differences. We need to be open and curious about those differences so that we can highlight and bring out the best in each other. We need to be able to have conversations that are of importance when it comes to moving our society forward without judgment, or fear that keeps us from asking the important questions.
We need to remind and teach those that serve to protect our citizens, that it is in fact their job… to serve and protect. We need to do a better job of weeding out the bad apples within our protection forces and remove them from service if they are choosing not to protect and serve our communities. We need to remind them to first approach with kindness because without this the members of the community, regardless of ethnicity, will never trust and respect the law. Trust and respect is a gift that has to be earned from both sides of the badges they are wearing.
As Americans, we have a dirty troubled history where nearly every ethnicity has been hated or persecuted at some point: African Americans were enslaved. Native Indians were removed from their lands. Japanese were encamped during WWII and Muslims were hated and feared after 9/11. The Irish were persecuted in the 1850s, the Germans were hated during WWII, and the Russians were hated during the cold war.
It’s time to stop listening to the Populus and start talking to your neighbors because we aren’t labels. We are humans with hearts, stories, and families! Let’s start celebrating our differences no matter what our color, opinion, heritage, or political belief. It is the single most important part of being an American!
#blacklivesmatter #alllivesmatter
