People are People.

When I was a small child, my uncle owned a cafe in San Francisco. It had very interesting people… but they were all just people. I distinctly remember a woman with very long hair. When I reflect upon the memory, I don’t even remember a face… just long straight hair. This woman had a very deep, manly voice. I don’t think I ever questioned it. I just knew that there was a woman with a very deep voice there.

When I was older, I realized that my uncle was gay, and his cafe was a hangout for many people in the LGBTQ community.

One of my family’s close friends was covered from head to toe in tattoos. His entire face was tattooed. I don’t remember a part of his body that wasn’t. I thought it was interesting… but it was normal. He was him, and he had a lot of tattoos.

With all the racism present in our society, it made me think about something…

I do not have a memory of the “first black person” I ever saw. I do not have a memory of the “first brown person” or the “first asian person” I ever saw. I don’t remember any of these things, and that’s because they never stood out as being different.

People are people. I remember those characteristics of people who I found to be unique and different than anyone I’d ever known.

I find it hard to wrap my head around how people can be racist, homophobic, or judge others so easily, because as I grew up, everyone was just a person.

I once took a “multicultural competency” test (or something like that) at work… it was supposed to measure your level of racism and/or microagressions and feelings towards other ethnicities and races. My results indicated that I was wrong/had some sort of underlying racist qualities for “not seeing color” when seeing people, because then I am not acknowledging their experiences and their struggles.

However, my response was not based on the pathetic society that we live in. My response was based solely on my values and attitudes about meeting and befriending people who look “different” than me. I wholeheartedly acknowledge the struggles that others face. I wholeheartedly wish for true equality and the REAL end of racism.

What I meant to say in my response was that I was raised to treat all people equally. I know that we are all the same, I KNOW that we are equal. So when I look at a person, and I see them for who they are and not the color of their skin, it’s because I KNOW they are my equal. I know I am no different than them, no better than them.

Teach your children that people are people. They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, voices, and identities.

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