Growing up, I never actually saw myself as anything other than normal when I looked in the mirror. Of course nothing special, but certainly nothing less. I credit my mom for that because has always raised my sister and I to believe that we were smart and beautiful and that we could reach anything we wanted in life if we worked for it. At the same time, her constant reminder was that no matter what, we should never consider ourselves to be better than, or above anyone else in life, because every individual has their own "special something" about them that makes them the unique person that they are. We were raised to never judge anyone and to try our best to be kind to people without allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of. For this reason,
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Just like some of us take the skin tone of our dad, while others might take that of our mom, or even grandparents. All of the people of the world varied in color because of the diverse hues in the dirt from which were created. It allowed me to understand that no matter what a person thought of my color, I was no different from them, and they were no different from me. Because I am bi-racial, there were times when it was like a double slap in the face because I was confronted with racism from both Caucasian and African American people. My mom is Caucasian and my dad is African American, and honestly, I think her fear was always that white people would not accept us. She would never allow anyone to treat us any differently if she knew about it, but I don 't think she knew that there would be so much negativity on both sides of the fence. There are 3 instances in which my race, something over which I had no control over, seemed to prevent me from excelling and from being included. I remember these so well because of how hurt they made me feel inside. The first time came when I was 12 years …show more content…
Really?!, was the only response I could come up with at the time. Once again, my race cost me something I wanted. My mom constantly encouraged me to keep my head and move forward. I held the title of "runner-up" and I wore it proudly! We don 't have much money but we were able to rent a beautiful, pink gown which everyone thought went beautiful with my skin tone. I stood side-by-side with those who judged me, and tried to feel just as good as any of them! In life I have came to realize that I am more than a face, a color, or a name. I am whoever I want to be, and if I work hard, I can be anything I want to be. My response to both of these situations was simply to NOT react or retaliate, because often times, that is was people expect others to do. I chose instead, to continue to be the person that my mom raised me to be, one that carries myself in a way that shows self-respect and respect for others... all others, no matter their race, social status, or anything else for that matter. Because I was able to do this, it forced the others to question their choices about me. It also taught me that I have the ability to overcome adverse situations; it taught me that people can be hurtful, but how we handle that pain, helps us build our
Just like some of us take the skin tone of our dad, while others might take that of our mom, or even grandparents. All of the people of the world varied in color because of the diverse hues in the dirt from which were created. It allowed me to understand that no matter what a person thought of my color, I was no different from them, and they were no different from me. Because I am bi-racial, there were times when it was like a double slap in the face because I was confronted with racism from both Caucasian and African American people. My mom is Caucasian and my dad is African American, and honestly, I think her fear was always that white people would not accept us. She would never allow anyone to treat us any differently if she knew about it, but I don 't think she knew that there would be so much negativity on both sides of the fence. There are 3 instances in which my race, something over which I had no control over, seemed to prevent me from excelling and from being included. I remember these so well because of how hurt they made me feel inside. The first time came when I was 12 years …show more content…
Really?!, was the only response I could come up with at the time. Once again, my race cost me something I wanted. My mom constantly encouraged me to keep my head and move forward. I held the title of "runner-up" and I wore it proudly! We don 't have much money but we were able to rent a beautiful, pink gown which everyone thought went beautiful with my skin tone. I stood side-by-side with those who judged me, and tried to feel just as good as any of them! In life I have came to realize that I am more than a face, a color, or a name. I am whoever I want to be, and if I work hard, I can be anything I want to be. My response to both of these situations was simply to NOT react or retaliate, because often times, that is was people expect others to do. I chose instead, to continue to be the person that my mom raised me to be, one that carries myself in a way that shows self-respect and respect for others... all others, no matter their race, social status, or anything else for that matter. Because I was able to do this, it forced the others to question their choices about me. It also taught me that I have the ability to overcome adverse situations; it taught me that people can be hurtful, but how we handle that pain, helps us build our