Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 21:46:04 -0800 (PST)
From: “Artrese”
Subject: Letter to the Editor
Hi,
I’m a “black” 21-year-old female with a genius-level IQ, a Hispanic great-grandfather, and medium brown skin. My ancestry also includes African, Irish, and Native-American. Because of these mixtures, I have two very dark-skinned siblings and one very light-skinned sibling. (I fall somewhere in between).
I’ve read quite a few of the comments posted by members of this forum. Much of what I’ve read seems to have “blacks” pitted against “tans”. Those who feel that they have been targeted for cruelty by “blacks” because of their lighter skin really need to understand that hatred and violence comes in all forms. Who hasn’t heard of the Hutus and Tutsis of Africa or the animosity between Serbs and Croats? To outsiders, they appear identical. Yet, these two groups find it imperative to hate and murder each other.
Why? Because people with very little in the way of self-esteem, intelligence, or personal worth will generaly find ways to make someone else feel that they have or are worth even less. To those who feel that they have been ostracized by “blacks”, why not return good for evil? And no, I don’t mean sponsoring a “black” family. Develop a sense of compassion towards all people. Realize that “blacks” in this country, whether descendants of slaves or African immigrants, have had to turn back centuries of hate and oppression, and are still working on not being seen as “second class”. Understand that this is not an excuse for hate of any kind. It is merely an explanation for behavior that may leave some confused and hateful in turn.
Personally, I have been ridiculed by every “race”, age, and gender because of my intelligence alone. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard, “You think you’re so smart.” “Race” often took a distant, but ever-present, second.
Though I despise classifications of any kind when they are used to raise or lower the value of groups of individuals, I feel that the issues of “race” are far too complex to be decided with something as simple as an extra box to check for “mixed” individuals or no boxes at all.
Eliminating hate is a matter of the heart. When parents foster in their children a love for all beings, we’ve made progress. If not, then we are headed to a downward spiral with every group placing boundaries against those who have even infinitesimal differences from themselves.
Obviously, with the growing number of “mixed” individuals, this will not be the case. Who can truly believe that he or she is “monoracial” when we all come from Adam and Eve? Or should we argue about what race they were?