Racism

I am a member of quite a few army and military wives groups online. Today on one of the facebook ones a question was asked about how people felt about someone starting a black army wives group. I have to say I am ashamed of the comments fellow military wives left! I am saddened by how much racism there still is in this country. Not just with whites to blacks, but between every race. Sadly it wasn't until I was an adult that I really realized what racism was. I guess I was lucky to grow up and go to school where I did. We had a mix of all races at all my schools and we all got along with each other, we were all friends with each other. Each race wasn't in their own "clique". Growing up that way taught me to look at a person for who they are, for what kind of heart they had. Not by what color skin they have or what religion they are.

Both me and my husband teach our kids that God made everyone different, everyone special in their own way and he loves us all the same and that is what we should do too. We teach our kids that yes their skin may be different, but that we are all the same on the inside and the heart of a person is all that really matters. As they get older and understand that people have different beliefs and faiths I will say the same thing about that. It doesn't matter if we believe two different things, what matters is what kind of person they are. The same is said for looks, being pretty or being ugly, being fat or being skinny. None of that matters. We should all love each other for the person we are on the inside.

Now both Dwayne and I did grow up around some racism. My family is known to make the racists jokes or comments here and there and his family is too. I look at it as they grew up in a different time than us. Now I do not agree with them saying those things in front of us when we were kids, because we were impressionable. But I am proud that both of us were able to look past their small mindedness and judgemental ways. Both of us were able to have a mind of our own and choose the right way to live, the right way to see people. I guess you could say we are color blind.
Now we want to raise our kids differently than we were raised. Our kids will never hear anything racial come out of our mouths. If they should hear us say something bad about someone it won't be because of the color of their skin or their faith and beliefs. And if we ever hear anyone in either of families say anything racist around our kids, well let's just say that will probably be the last time they are around our kids. We will not tolerate it. Up until now we have let it slide, but things are changing, times are changing. I just hope other people feel like we do and teach their kids the same thing, so that way day people can live in a world where everyone is colorblind and where people aren't judged for their religion and beliefs. For this to happen though everyone of all races is going to have to let go of the past and look towards the future, the future that our kids can make happen if we just teach them the right way to see and treat people!

I think back to the groups of friends I had at Fort Stewart and Fort Riley. They were all a mix of races, cultures and beliefs. At Fort Riley we had white, black and Latino hanging out all at the same time, all getting along not looking at the skin but at the person. We had Christians, Catholics, Atheist and even Wicca all in that group, again all getting along, all respecting each others beliefs, all loving one another no matter how different we were. I really do pray and hope that one day everywhere can be like the little groups of friends I have had. Even though our country has come so far it makes me so sad to see just how little we have come too.