Every day when I wake up I'm reminded of the fractures in this world. A quick glance at social media will do it, or the distant memory of a past relationship. The greatest reminder for me, however, is that I wake up each morning with milky brown skin. This skin, crafted by my creator God and for which I am grateful, is also skin that leads to bigotry, prejudice and discrimination.
As a teenager I learned about the civil rights movement and the brave men and women who suffered pain and sometimes death for defending the rights of others. I marched in my city’s civil rights parade celebrating the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. I have painful memories, such as the time a mom explained to me why her son couldn’t date a black girl. She wrapped her explanation in sentiments such as “You are kind” and “You are free to be his friend,” but our difference in skin color was too much for her. The thought of her son dating me was disgraceful; in her mind, it was “not right.”
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