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