In Response to Sarah…

Sarah is a very dear friend of mine who asked me to do her a favor.  Her request was exactly what I needed at a moment of perusing what would be the next topic of my blog. So with her permission I will answer the  two questions she needs answered for her next class assignment on this blog. Before I do just that, let me give a bit of insight into this wonderful woman. Sarah is a newly single mom of three precious boys. Before she became a SAHM she worked as a Labor and Delivery nurse. Now that she finds herself in a position to be a provider,  she is hard at work earning her Master’s in Nursing.  Make no mistake, she is no wilting flower. Doubling timing it through school, around a three rambunctious boys, various obstacles life has thrown at her, she has my profound admiration.  She does it all with a smile and a 4.0 grade average. This is my way of acknowledgement and support of another mom whom I’ve come to cherish very  much.

Do you think we can live in a world without racism? Why or why not?

In short, no, I believe racism is here to stay. No matter how many laws we write against it, no written law can cure the imperfections of human nature. While racism is the discrimination or disparaging of another based on their race, it can be tied down to one basic emotion, which is hate. Racism is only, but  a reflection of the timeless battle between good verses evil. Wrong verses right.  As cliché and corny as that sounds, it is an unchangeable principle of life.  The only cure for hate is it’s anti-thesis…love.

Now, I truly believe the building blocks of love come down the simplicity of respect. One does not necessarily need to be huggy & kissy to exhibit love, but merely respectful and empathic of your fellow neighbor. The old adage, “Treat others as you wanted to be treated…” hails from Bible…

”A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” – John 13:34

In order to eradicate racism, every being must believe that the next person has worth and value and treat them accordingly.  I don’t see this changing anytime soon, if our history as Americans and our history of man/womankind is any indication.

Now let me clarify for my readers, when I speak of racism, I’m speaking in the generic sense of the term, but as an African-American mom, the black and white issue is my reality. While my girls will undoubtedly experience discrimination because of their race, my boys will have it a lot tougher than them. I have the unique challenge of raising four, strong, black boys. My challenge is to raise them to be loving, respectful and self-confident in the face of disparagement, in a society that will not see them as they are.

My eldest son, now 8, experienced his first bout of racism at the age of 5, when another Kindergartner called him a ni@@er. My son, then, was the only AA male in class…there was no doubt of the other boy’s intention and understanding of the term. As long as there are people who do not see the value of another person as worthy of basic respect, racism will continue to live on through our children and theirs as well.

Please feel free to leave an answer to Sarah’s questions. I will ask everyone to be extra thoughtful when commenting.