So much unrest happening in our world today. Riots happening in the South and Mid-West due to racism and police brutality. It would be wonderful for people to look past racial differences, to respect one another, but unfortunately we are unable to do so.
I've always been able to look past color. My Puerto Rican family is of mixed race (my grandmother being a black Puerto Rican, my grandfather being of fair complexion). People would look at my family and stare in surprise when I would introduce my grandmother. I always found that very amusing.
Prejudice was introduced to me at a young age. I recall walking home with my mom, and we passed by two little girls. I smiled at them, since that's what six year olds do, but the girl just gave me a look and said to her friend, 'that white girl just smiled at me', and kept on walking. She never smiled back.
I felt confused, turned to my mom and asked why she called me that. My mom replied, 'people say that to each other sometimes, when they look different'. While I'm a Puerto Rican with light skin, I never thought of myself as 'White', since that what my family would say that about the famous people on television.
As I got older, I continued to witness people saying rude comments about one another. I would hear stories from my grandfather about how life was in Paterson long ago, how neighbors were friendly to each other, then just decided to leave when 'people like us' began moving in. I would take in all of these stories and be in disbelief. How could people hate each other because they looked different? My biracial family taught me that differences in skin color should be embraced!
All the shootings, the violence against each other because of race, must end now. The fact that we're still fighting about race and ethnicity in 2016 is still heartbreaking. We need to look past our differences and learn from one another.
09/24/2016
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