United Colors

As a world traveler who has lived abroad in Europe and Africa, I'm also a part of the 1%'ers. No, not the upper echelon of wealth, yet I am a natural red head with blue eyes. I learned recently, (and I’m 55 years old), that only 1% of the world’s population of over 7 billion people are like me!

My experience living in Africa was simply amazing! While visiting small rural villages and even in some of the cities, some of the young children would run up to me and call me a ‘cheetah’ because of my freckles. They had never seen a person with red hair, let alone ‘spots’ all over their face and body. It was such a joy to meet people from a completely different place where I grew up. My desire for years was to stay in Africa, yet finding work visas and a decent pay was difficult for me to secure.

I am also a member of another smaller population, or sub-group, and that is that I'm involved and engaged in an interracial relationship. As a white, suburban, middle class youth, I have been involved with African American men since my teens. Truthfully, I've had countless positive and unfortunately more negative experiences over the years about my choices of whom I have loved. Some relationships were well received, others brutally rejected. Unfortunately, for me, it seemed that I, as a white woman, was easily more accepted into my partner’s black families, than my black partners were accepted into my white family. I do feel honored though that some of the prejudices of my family were dissolved after their exposure to me and my biracial relationships. My perspective is that it’s all about education and exposure. If people are ignorant of other people’s perspectives and experiences, they will never open their minds and hearts to another way of life.

I was blessed to spend most of my upcoming years as a young adult in the beautiful city of San Francisco, where my friends reflected the true diversity of the City. I no longer live in San Francisco and have not for 20 years, yet in the late 1980's until the early 2000's, San Francisco was a melting pot of diverse cultures, arts, religions, beliefs, sexual orientations, economic status' and so were my friends. Being from a white and privileged childhood, I often commented, during the time I lived there, that the world should follow this beautiful city's lead and all live peacefully in harmony.

Although I haven’t personally visited San Francisco since 2002, sadly, I've heard that the City has changed quite a bit since 2000. That is why I have been so amazed and grateful that in this last year of 2020, more American people of all races came together to fight racism, police brutality and injustices of minorities. Yet, even as we begin 2021, and now the hateful, hurtful treatment of Asians in the U.S., we still have a long way to go to create and accept social equality and justice for all Americans.

All I can say, is that I was born into a racist, prejudice family, where my own grandfather was a bigot, my mother self-proclaims that she is prejudice of other races and cultures, yet I, as a human being and now a mother, have taught my mixed kids to accept people of all races, religions, beliefs, orientations and never be non-judgmental against others, since we are all children of GOD. So, within 3 generations, there has been CHANGE within my family...and for that I am so proud and honored that I have been a part of social change. My children will not think or believe as their grandparents nor great grandparents and the cycle, within my own family has been broken.