by Rachel Garner

Created on: October 22, 2009

Skin color doesn't matter any more then the color of your hair or eyes. All humans are equal, you would think that is simple enough to understand? I was raised to think that people are different colors just because God wanted everyone to look a little different in there own special way.

Unfortunately, not all people are raised to think like this. Especially in the south, racism is still very much alive. I, myself, am in a interracial relationship, and if i just go to Wal-mart with my boyfriend and child, i get people who stare at me like i am the devil, and many more people who will actually see us and walk all the way around us like we have machine guns in our hands. Skin color is something that people should have gotten over quite awhile ago, but a lot of people just don't change the way they should. It is quite scary to think of how much racism is still in our world, and its even scarier when people will tell me to my face that racism does not exist anymore.

I have personally seen how differently my boyfriend gets treated, although i don't see why. He is a very smart and talented man who has worked hard all his life, and still he gets so much trouble just because he is African American. I have seen how people treat him at work, how cops stare at us in malls, how people stare at us any were we go. In fact, we have gotten pulled over and harassed many times by the cops for no reason other then the fact that we are a couple with a mixed race baby, and the cops down here don't like it.

I have seen the difference in the north and south, though. Up north, people are more accepting of anything, whether it be skin color or gays. Down south, people are just taught more traditional (by traditional i mean old) ways, such as racism. I actually saw a white man spit at my boyfriends feet once because he was holding my hand.

So how do we get over skin color? Its simple, look past it. Anyone who has a different skin tone, is still human. They still have feelings, thoughts, and talents. Just because someone has a different skin tone doesn't make them an alien, unless they are neon green.

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