world needs color

My heart has been sad lately when reading or listening to the news. 

 Your Aunt Chenai and grandpa-world biggest history lovers- say/said this often and Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NLT) "History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new." has so eloquently stated that since King Solomon. 

Being born and raised in a country that only gained independence 31 years ago I have heard and seen injustices all my life. I was born during a colonial era, my first plane ride was to South Africa at 9/10 years old during Aparthied-Segregation of Races- And a week before that trip the Mozambiquean president had just had his plane shot down by the soldiers of Apartheid South Africa. So to say mommy had nightmares that week  would be an understatement. What was meant to be a the coolest experience ever- first plane ride- was the most frightening because I was certain they'd shoot us down too, because like the dead president Samora  Machel- we were black. I didn't tell your grandparents how I felt, mostly because they continued to be excited about our impending vacation and so were my brother and sisters. I was confused. However this  was the first of many vacations to South Africa, and I'm grateful to your grandparents for that, because inspite of the fact that we could only stay at black-only hotels, stop for potty breaks at black-only restaurants etc we always had a ball. On one trip we drove and crossed the border really late, none of the motels were "friendlies" so your grandparents found a nearby truck stop, talked to the guard, and we slept in our station wagon with your grandparents taking shifts on watching us sleep. This and many other insistence's taught us kids that being black didn't mean we couldn't do or be who we wanted to be. We got this lesson taught to us many other times by them by how they conducted their lives, how they treated and talked to people or let people of all races talk to them. With respect.  Yes in some cases you have to work harder, make adjustments but it can be done. We my dear are not defined or confined by what we look like. But not everyone thinks that. And as a mother to a little black girl it hurts my heart to hear and read things that remind me of Aparthied .A 16 year old boy being shot because of what he looked like, a little  12 year old girl gets a movie role in the biggest movie of the year Hunger Games, and people are upset and cruel because she's black. Yes it's 2012. Know that as your dada and I have said when these things happen, we don't spend much time thinking about our race or racism. We just are. And if someone wants to read into our skin color that's their business not ours. But that doesn't mean we are not aware it's there. We don't let racism in our lives, but we will fight it by educating you and your cousins, just like grandma and grandpa did for us. 

So my sweet, smart, beautiful little black girl, know that you're defined by who you are, and that is Child Of God.  Who according to his beautiful plan blessed you with  gorgeous brown skin color. How you love, respect and treat others, your heart, your soul, your lovely smile and your contagious laughter. All these things make you uniquely Zoe. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.