I See Colors

I was talking with a younger friend of mine the other day, trying to describe someone in the room and she had no idea who I was talking about until I said, "Do you see that black guy over there? The girl next to him, that's who I am talking about!"
The look of mock horror on my friends face made it very difficult for me to not roll my eyes. "We don't allow racists here!"She joked.
"Oh, they don't know they're black? My bad," I responded.

 I was probably more sarcastic than I should have been. Still, why is it so many people get shocked when I describe a black person as... black? It bothers me that some people try to act like there is no such thing as different skin tones! Yes, I agree there is only one race --being the human race, but that does not mean that there is only one color skin!
God created a beautiful tapestry of personality, character, originality, and color in his people. Pretending that these differences do not exist does not glorify God and his amazing creativity! There is beauty in diversity and pretending like we do not notice that black people are black and white people are white defiles that beauty.
Now, I understand the concerns some people might have about what I am saying. So let me clarify, I do not want anyone to identify a person only as black, white, asian, or hispanic. We have to remember that we are all human beings. All of us have personalities, thoughts, cares, things that annoy us, and things that make us laugh, cry, and get angry. No one person is the same and no one person deserves to be grouped together with anyone else simply because of his social status, age, or skin color.
I am only suggesting we stop pretending that we are color blind. Stop trying to see the world through a gray lens and instead praise God for what he has created, because guys, it is an amazing creation if you didn't already know!

I grew up with this song while growing up in a multi-ethnic church in the Washington D.C area. I think the lyrics are fitting:

"Pardon me, your epidermis is showing, mister
I couldn't help but note your shade of melanin
I tip my hat to the colorful arrangement
Cause I see the beauty in the tones of our skin 
We've gotta come together
And thank the Maker of us all 
We're colored people, and we live in a tainted place
We're colored people, and they call us the human race
We've got a history so full of mistakes
And we are colored people who depend on a Holy Grace." -"Colored People," D.C Talk 

-Andrea

Why a Blog? Why now?

"Why on earth would you ever want to be a blogger?"

I asked myself this question a few weeks ago when the prospect of creating what I thought of as an online diary first became somewhat desirable. I have had blogs in the past. They were littered with trivial things and were viewed only by my closest friend, my little brother, and on occasion my parents. I started blogs with the sole desire to be heard. I felt the opinion of a home schooled junior higher was one that should be read by the world and that it was worthy of an appearance on the internet.
Soon enough, these blogs became personal diaries. They were venues for me to boast in my accomplishments and creativity. Let me be clear, I was not even in high school when I created these blogs, so my accomplishments were limited. As I got older, I began to feel sickened at the thought of writing another blog post that would serve only me and would never even be read. 

Finally, months before I began my Freshman year of high school, I deleted every blog site I had ever created (and there were far too many to count). I was free of them and took up journaling where there was a cover and binding. 

My history with blogging is why I asked myself this question before I created this page. Why a blog? Why now?

Well...

1. I love to write Poetry, stories, papers, speeches, you name it. I want to use this blog as a place to put my thoughts and writings that are appropriate for those who are not living within my own head/heart.

2. I have learned to keep my trivial thoughts either in my head or between the covers of a private journal. I will try not to burden you with them.

3. I have felt God laying things on my heart that are too long to put in a Facebook status, or even a Facebook Note (and who really reads those anyways, besides the people you tag?).

4. It will give me a better, more beneficial activity to take part in than pinning pictures of funny jokes or pretty dresses to my Pinterest boards.


There is no promise that this blog will be read by any one, or that my words will ever mean anything to anybody. That's ok with me, though. No matter what happens, my mom will always tell me I am a great writer and then she will encourage me to keep at it. 

-Andrea