One of my friends was telling me the other day about her son’s girlfriend. She goes to college, plays basketball, works, attends church regularly, and she is berating him for not attending church. Wow, good for him she sounds wonderful, I told her. But, she is black, she added. She still sounds perfect to me. Would you prefer him to date a white, unemployed, high school dropout? You should be thrilled that he found a girl with goals and morals. She agreed with me, what else could she do.

My youngest daughter is biracial. She has dark skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. We plan to raise her to have goals and morals. Currently she is the light of my life. She makes me laugh with her silly faces, especially when she does them with the mirror. It breaks my heart to think that in 16 years, give or take a few; someone will say something like that regarding my daughter.

She is beautiful and intelligent. The man she chooses, if she chooses, will be extremely lucky. She has five big brothers who think the world of her and will probably knock out the first guy who treats her with any disrespect.

When will we start appreciating people for who they are, instead of the color of their skin? Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life for this cause in April of 1968. It has been 40 years people, just how long will we hold on to this prejudice? On the fifteenth of this month, we celebrate the seventy-ninth year since his birth.

Changes in thinking start with you, in your family, at your home. You can influence how your children perceive people of other races and ethnic origin and possibly some of your friends. There is still time to change the world’s perception for my daughter’s future, if you start now, because she is only one year old. Your children will grow up to either embrace her, or reject her, based on your teaching and influence.


Photo credit Julia Fuller 2007