Encounters With My Race

This is a re post from my Zanga site 31 March 2008

While I was growing up, I imagine myself special. I grew up in a large family. By the time I was going to school, schools were desegregated. It was an experience to get to learn more about people.

Most of my classmates in my grade school had a different color than me. I was the only person of my skin color in my class from my first grade to the 6th. I can say that there were not many minorities in our whole grade school during my stay there.

As far back as I can remember, I recall getting a doll for Christmas. It was not my skin color. I liked the doll anyway. The sad thing about it, I had to give the doll back to the person that gave it to me. I never understood way.

Then some of my siblings where telling me some things that I did not understand. They had been through some of the issues like I had experienced. They clued me in on some things. What I learned in my up bringing influenced how I saw things.
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Reflections: On Encounters With My Race.
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In My Early School Years:

It was not until I got to the 2nd Grade at Mark Twain Elementary School when I made a discovery what others said about my skin color. I knew that I was different. But how different was I?

Some of us girls were in line waiting to go into our classroom. One of the girls said that they had a crush on Elvis Presley. Then that girl turn to me and said that I could not have a crush on Elvis because was not his color.

It was also in the 2nd Grade that we had to draw a picture of our mothers for Mother's Day. I was so excited. We get to COLOR. I loved to draw.

One day our teacher Mrs. May wanted our attention. She said to the others students (not including me) to take out a pink crayon. Mrs. May told me to take out the brown crayon. I did not know why. All I wanted to do was to COLOR.

In Our Neighborhood:

Then there was an issue that came up while some of us siblings were playing ball with some of our neighbor's kids. One day one of the neighbor's kid was going to go into his house. He told me that I was not allowed in.

This kid was explaining to me why. Their parents told them not to let blacks in to their homes especially black females. I could not go into their homes. So I did not.

In My Middle School Years:

Then as I made my way to Truman Middle School, I had some encounters. One day I was walking down the hallway. I saw someone who I knew from another class. He was with some one who said "there is a N ahead of us."

Yeah, I heard what that person said. I slow down a bit before I was about to open the door where I was going. The person who I knew told the other person-- he said "She is OK!"

I recall before going to High School, a guy called me asking me what color I was? I did not answer his question. What different should it have made if I would have answered the question?

In My High School Years:

I made my way to Central High School. Yes, the issue was there too. One day I was walking into the Freshman building. There were three or four guys sitting on the bench.

I was the only girl there as I made my way to the door. One of the guys said the N word. It was loud enough so I could hear.

As I heard the voice say the word, I tried around. All the guys were laughing with there heads down. All I did was shook my head and with about my way.

Then in my Senior Year, I was in the Senior building studying in the hallway. For some reason some one from above split to where it landed on my paper. I looked up and the person way gone.

In Life:

Yeah, through out my life even still this every day, my skin color is an issue with some. There are many of us who are taught by our parents about other races. Should a person's skin color matter? I don't think so.
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On My Journey Of Transformation:
My Higher Calling
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Through the years, I have grown through the issues of being called names. Since I am discovering who I am in Christ, that is what matter the most. I was created in the image of God.

I came across the scriptures that ----Men looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. That is the most important beauty of a person. It is the heart of the person that matters.

About Church:

What I learned in life it comes out of us. What I heard that there are black churches, whites churches and so on. I did know why we were taught this. But it happened.

I remember when I started going to church. I heard some tell me that I was going to a "white" church. Then when I joined the choir for a season, I was in a "white" choir. What is the labeling business about churches?

There are times in my life when I do label things. Perhaps it is human nature. But at times I question myself. Why do I do that? I have been growing from labeling.

About Racism:

I do experience racism. Some cases are more noticeable than others. While some are well hidden. Racism or whatever the name is displayed nowadays, is there.

There is a local store in two. If I go there with one of my brothers, there would be a person watching us to see what we will do. There are many times that I have grown not worry about people watching me. I don't understand why certain groups of people are watch more than others in stores.

I recall a friend that told me that her mother was a racist. This mother overcame that. Whenever I would see my friend's mother in church, I would go out of my way to give this lady a hug. When I did they I looked her in the face and saw a beautiful smile.

How could a person not like another race? What blind spots are there? Whatever it was to this lady had, God removed the issue. She was set free.

About People:


I try to speak to all who are willing to speak to me. There have been some hard cases. All of us are different. Through time, I get to learn more about people and understand some things about them.

I remember that my parents taught me to speak to every body. I grew up in a neighborhood of many races. Mostly blacks and whites lived on our long block. Our next door neighbors were Mexicans.

Some Of My Thoughts:

It was not to long after I became a Christian, I heard a preacher preached on racism. What he spoke on made some sense. Some one ask this preach can any one marry out of their race. The person was speaking of a black marrying a white person.

The preacher said that there is only one race. That is the human race. A human marries a human. We are all humans with different tent covering.

At one point in my life, I ask God for forgiveness of those who held slaves in bondage in America. I ask God to bring healing to the descendants from slavery. We should not hold what our forefathers did to one another forefathers.
I pray that people can unite as one: one as the human race. One thing I like about going to the church were I worship the true and living God is that I see a rainbow of colors there. Many people of different descents.

God is so good to bring many people of different origins together. There is only one God one Faith. That is of Jesus.

If we can see the God likeness in our fellow human in what ever race there is, we should not be comparing who is who. That who's skin tone is better or which hair text is not to have.

We are all created for a purpose. We can learn from one another as we share this earth together. We can be what God, our Creator wants us to be: a family of God God is our Heavenly Father.
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In The Spirit of Thankfulness:
Encounters With My Race
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I am thankful that God doesn't see color. I am thankful that God designed each and every person differently. I am thankful that God choose every thing that I am from my skin tone to what language that I would speak.

I am so thankful that Jesus came to bring us a new way to be human. I am thankful that I am human. I am thankful that God give my the nature to relate some people. I am thankful for a church of many nationalities.
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Also I would like to add that I have relatives of many races. Blacks, Whites, Mulattos, American Indians, Mexican American, I don't know all what else. I can say that I have a rainbow of relatives. I am not ashamed of that.

We lack knowledge of what we don't know about other races. We are either taught about it or learn about it from other influences.