Type “race definition” into Google search and the first link you will see is “Race (human classification),” a Wikipedia article. But I want you to look closely at what you see at the top of the page in the Google definitions box.
Notice anything?
Not one of the four definitions given mentions anything about race being a way to classify humans. So why do we feel the need to make it one?
Humans are just that; human. Some of us have different beliefs, cultures, skin colors, eye colors, social structures and so much more, but we are all still of this earth. Yet somehow we feel the need to segment ourselves.
But why? Yes, we may have the same skin color as another, we may be from the same place or have the same beliefs, but we look at these as differences that separate us from others instead of seeing them for what they really are; similarities.
The truth is we are all different from one another; each of us is our own person with our own way of thinking and being. But that fact should not separate us, it should bring us together. Realizing that each and every one of us is not only different from everyone in some way but that we also share some similarity, no matter how small it may be there will always be one.
I was born in a small town right on the border with Mexico where I had the uncommon opportunity to grow up as the minority even though I am Caucasian.
Growing up in a place like this gave me something that other places might not have; understanding. It’s true I didn’t look like 95% of the people in my community, but in comparison to all the things we had in common the few physical differences did not matter.
I’ve seen racist acts made toward others, and I’ve been the target of some myself. But acts like these are committed by individuals stuck in a mindset that allows them to see only that which makes us different.
It’s this mindset that leaves communities across the nation divided. People are so afraid of what’s different they cannot see what makes them the same. And while the U.S. has come a long way in that endeavor, cases like those in Ferguson, MO. or Sanford, FL. remind us that we still have a long way to go.
Review by: Krista Kull
Amanda,
It was really interesting to read about the community you grew up in and how it influenced the way you view others. It’s sad that there are still people who can only see differences within a community and that racism still exists. I think that people’s different backgrounds and cultures are what make us all unique and interesting, and being understanding of others is extremely important. Great post!