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Now more than ever sit here and I wonder what it would be like to not have to worry about everything being racially tinged. I’m sitting here watching a Hallmark movie on t.v., and all I can think about is what if I were a black woman in place of the white heroine in one of these movies? I’m the Black lead female character, where I learn about a small rural community and I happen to inherit a house and must move to that town to claim my property. As a condition of my inheritance, I have to live there and start a new life. Cool! But as a black woman, would I be welcomed there? Would I have to worry about whether the townspeople will accept me? Would I have to worry if I went to the local hardware to pick up a few things that someone would follow me around the store? I’m a Christian, better yet, I’m a Child of God that has more rights and privileges in Heaven than I do in certain parts of the United States of America, and that’s a very sad thing to say.
It’s amazing to me how white privilege allows people to not have to worry and not think about things that I have to worry about and think about on a daily basis. Sitting here watching this movie, I’m watching the heroine and the hero plan their lives and the worst thing they have to worry about is her cousin coming in and wanting to make them sell their inheritance so that the cousin could get her portion. And I don’t know anymore. It’s frustrating to me now, watching these movies as a black woman. Whereas I used to be able to watch a movie or read a book and get a little romance in my afternoon via the television screen, now I’m forced to think about the situations and the circumstances of these movies. Would I be judged by the content of my heart? Will I be able to just enjoy an ordinary Hallmark movie or Harlequin romance anymore? What if? Would the characters on the screen like me in real life? Or would they just automatically have a prejudice and a schism against me simply because of the color of my skin, just like so many people in real life do? Would I be able to go to a small town in Vermont or open a B&B in Massachusetts? Would I be able to just walk down the street and wave hello at my new neighbors? Would I be able to open the doors of a fantastic art gallery? Sail the ocean off the coast of Georgia with my love? Or would I have to constantly be on guard against someone who instantly hated me or thought maliciously against me, simply because of the color of my skin?
I thank God for God being who he is. For being what he is. He’s all saying he’s all knowing he’s omniscient he’s omnipresent and he looks at the heart. I thank God that when he sees me he doesn’t see me as just a black woman but he sees me as his child. He sees my heart. He knows if I’m worthy, He knows if I’m unworthy. He knows if I’m a good neighbor. He knows if I am a cherished member of His society. But I am sad today, and just a bit frustrated, that there are vast swaths of people in this country, who judge others not on the content of someone’s heart but automatically because of the color of one’s skin. They think I and other people of color are not worthy of living near and of being their neighbors. We are not worthy of using their services and not worthy of sending our children to their schools simply because of the outer packaging God decided to put our soul in.
One day I pray that those that identify as Christians but see themselves racially superior would actually read the Bible, read the word that they say they believe. I pray that these self-proclaimed Christians would become convicted of the very Word that they say they follow. These people, who desire the contents of my pocketbook but denounce the color of my skin, have somehow determined my worth, or lack thereof. They have decided we are not worthy to be a part of “their” society. But God! The very Word of God says that all nations, colors, tribes and people of the world are represented in His Kingdom. No amount of prejudice, discrimination and false teaching can change the Word of God. Their unhinged hatred and unsubstantiated superiority complex can never supersede the open door policy of Heaven. And thank God, there is no segregation or discrimination there either…
As I watch these movies I can see the influence and the contributions of people of color. People from all around the world are represented in the very technology that they use to produce these movies. I see the inventions of Black men and women portrayed throughout these movies. I see the influence of Black authors, fashionistas and athletes in the characters’ actions and in their manners. I see Black influence everywhere and it’s a good thing. The world, yes even the United States of America is a better place because of the things Black culture, knowledge and wisdom has given us over thousands of years.
Everyone on Earth is related to each other. WE are all 30th to 50th cousins in the family tree of God. I don’t know what it will take for some of our white cousins to understand the very depth and height of the phenomenon called “white privilege”. Until they can understand that the power of being able to go where you want, when you want and how you want is a privilege not afforded to everyone in this world, then things will not change. When integrity, honor and respect is not based on who you are but in the hands of a majority who judge you solely on your skin color, it hurts EVERYONE not just the ones of color. It is not cool that there are numbers of them who don’t want to change and there are many who will never want to understand. That is a fact. But it is my prayer that one day, like the lion and the lamb will sit down together, Black and white people across America can put away such childish behavior, value the complexities of diversity and live with each other in harmony and peace. Until then, I will continue to watch my Hallmark Movies and dream of a place where I am already accepted and loved as a cherished member of a greater society, Heaven’s Kingdom.
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