The color of our skin means nothing

I was looking out my kitchen window this morning, and I saw a black kid run by on the street. My immediate thought was, “I wonder if he’s running track or cross country in school or if he is running to catch a bus?”

Then I realized that there are an awful lot of people out there who would be making different, darker assumptions. Just because of the color of his skin they might be thinking, “I wonder what he is running from? I am pretty sure he must have done something bad that he is running away from.”

It made me real sad for a minute to think that there are people out there who will assume the worst of something that is most likely to be purely innocent. Sure, I guess he could have just committed a crime and was running away. I could get hit by lightning tomorrow – both are possible, but not very probable.  It really doesn’t matter what the color of his skin is; the most likely reason that he is running is probably pretty mundane.

And yet there are people out there who might call the cops on him just because he is not white and is running. How sad that is, especially knowing how run-ins with the law often go for people of color.

I wonder how long it will take this country to collectively realize that we are all one and the color of our skin has only to do with how far from the equator our ancestors came from, and nothing else? It would be nice if this realization were to happen in my lifetime. However, I am getting old fast, so I hope it happens soon.

1 comment to The color of our skin means nothing

  • Nancy A Rohar

    Well said Judy. I might also wonder if he was running from police, even though he had done absolutely nothing wrong, just because he knows he might be the next one that they kill. How terrifying it must be to live with that fear!

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