 picture taken from 365atlantafamily.com Now, sometimes I feel like I can go for weeks without some kind of contact from God, or a vision or a really strong feeling. That is partially the reason you haven’t seen many entries from me lately. I had a period of feeling like nothing I had to tell you seemed worthy of your time, and when it did I couldn’t find the right words. Well, worry no more! I have been dealing with a new issue lately, one that in my 25 years of life I honestly can say I have never had a direct dealing with. Ready? It’s Racism. I am a 25 year old white woman who was raised to love anyone and everyone regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation and especially skin colour. But for the past 6 months I have been falling in love and starting to build a life with a man who has become my best friend, a man who I want to spend the rest of my life with. A man who is mixed race. His mother is Filipino and his father is Caucasian Canadian. Until this year no one has ever been able to say a really racist thing to me… What do you say to a blonde haired, blue eyed, chubby Canadian girl? Not much. What do they say now? Just you wait! The following statements have been said to me in real life. “What does his mother think about you being white?” “Are you going to learn how to cook food from his homeland?” “He’s being baptized at your church? How mad is his mother? I thought all Filipinos were Catholic?” “Just you wait, you are going to have the cutest caramel coloured babies!” These are all things that no one has ever asked me when I was in a relationship with a white man. No one asked him how upset his mother was or if I was going to learn to cook the food from him homeland of Stony Plain. I recently went to the show, Avenue Q. One of the first songs is called 'Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist': “You're a little bit racist. The whole show has these songs that are based on catchy lyrics and great jazz pick ups. As I sat there listening to songs like 'Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist' and 'What do you do with a B.A. in English?', I was caught off guard with how funny I thought they were but also how horrifically true they all were. I sat in a dark theatre and watched Muppets sing songs and had an Aha moment. Thanks Muppets! “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” I am a 25 year old girl and I am a woman who is in love and planning a life with a man of mixed race. It is 2015 and people still feel like they get to comment about it. It is casual, quaint, offhand comments that we have come to accept as normal. My Boyfriend doesn’t even pay attention to them because he grew up around them. I grew up knowing there were specific words for certain races you could never say. I remember being in grade 11 and directing a play and learning from my teacher that it was set in a time when people in the states were being derogatory towards Italian people. There was a word that was referenced multiple times and as I ran lines with the cast I had no Idea that I was saying racial slurs over and over. (We obviously changed it for the show). I was so embarrassed and never said it again.
I know that God created everyone in his image and you are person in the eyes of God. I know that. I know that there is no cultural or colour combination that can be deemed right or wrong and that none are any less worthy of love. People are people and when looking at them it should be with love. I would like to start the revolution so that song titles like 'Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist' are no longer valid and obsolete. So I’m still a white girl and my Boyfriend is still mixed race, and I am not sorry nor do I feel bad. I will continue to love him regardless of the ridiculous questions and offhand looks. Love is Love. Now go out into the world and spread of goodness!
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