When I was a child and I heard the word race, “I’ll race you” it was seeing who was the fastest, or who could get something done quicker. I didn’t know it had anything to do with the color of skin. Maybe it was the time I was born, how I was raised, the teachers I had, or maybe it was just how I perceived everything as a child. I did feel like I was different than others.
Taneka was the very first friend I made. We went to school together and she lived right down the street in the neighborhood we lived in. When I think back, the neighborhood was diverse. Yes, her skin color was different than mine, but that didn’t change our friendship.
It’s just a color.
I grew up having many friends of different colors. We learned about each other and from each other. I also had many great teachers in school of different skin colors.
I didn’t have any special privileges different from any of my friends. We all had the same or similar opportunities growing up. I didn’t see any others having any other special treatment. I’ve also seen growing up and even more today many successful people of different skin colors, from police, doctors, lawyers, business owners, to athletes, entrepreneurs, etc. So, where does this whole “white privilege” come from?
When you look up the word “race” the first definition is what I previously just wrote. A competition to see who is faster, quicker, or better at something than the other. You can see right here:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/race
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/race
Here is the origin, as well:
Late Old English, from Old Norse rás ‘current’. It was originally a northern English word with the sense ‘rapid forward movement’, which gave rise to the senses ‘contest of speed’ (early 16th century) and ‘channel, path’ (i.e. the space traversed). The verb dates from the late 15th century.
So, what are we racing for?
Then here is an insert from Britanica on race:
Race, the idea that the human species is divided into distinct groups on the basis of inherited physical and behavioral differences. Genetic studies in the late 20th century refuted the existence of biogenetically distinct races, and scholars now argue that “races” are cultural interventions reflecting specific attitudes and beliefs that were imposed on different populations in the wake of western European conquests beginning in the 15th century.
Going back to when I mentioned that my friends and I learned about each other and from each other. When we’re exposed to different ethnicities and cultures we become more open-minded and accepting of each other. We didn’t always agree on everything, but we still remained friends. We accepted each other’s differences.
The word race in the human world isn’t that old, but not that new either. You can read the history here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_(human_categorization)
So, going back to skin colors, none of us are technically white nor black. Black is the absence of color, a void. Whereas white is the prism where all colors combine.
Together they make gray.
We’re all shades in between from the darkest of browns to the palest shade of cream. I see many beautiful colors, colors of cultures, colors of nationalities, colors of ethnicities, colors of the world. I believe in the human race. I believe in humanity.
Who else is with me?
The Owl’s Nest 