Yes. Early influences are huge. As a small child, living on a usarmy post in central america, my mother and father both working every day, my keepers, my role models, were an african-panamanian woman, “Magdalena”, and a San Blas tribesman, “Ford".

Ford was a little person, commonly referred to as a “pygmy”. His name was a series of grunts, clicks and whistles. He liked daddy’s car and consented to being known by us as “Ford"☺

They were wonderful, loving, people, and I remember them with love.

These days I live in an apartment in the deep south, our complex is 95% african american. Many are my friends. Many walk by without speaking, or even looking at me, trained, from birth to be wary of white people. It’s a sad state of affairs.

I make it a point to speak, say “good morning 😁”, and have a conversation with those neighbors who are willing.

I try, sometimes,(when they will listen), to get the certain knowledge across to other white people, that in all of the places I have lived, around the world, including right here at home, that there’s only one race, the human race.

No matter where I’ve been in the world, I tell them, you can sit down anywhere and just watch people, and no matter what color their skin, no matter what language they speak, no matter their religion or customs, if you just watch, open minded, you quickly see that we are all the same.

Exactly the same. It’s a simple question of whether you’re looking for the differences, or the similarities. The similarities outweigh the differences by orders of magnitude. If you’re only willing to see it.

Peace Love Kindness Respect the more you give the more you get 😍 start with yourself 😉 because you deserve it ❤️🙏🏼(you really do. I promise.)

PS: I forgot to mention that my daughter is quite rich with melanin, while I am as white as white can be. I held her as she cried, and we rolled our eyes and smiled when my mom or sisters tried to interest her in a white boyfriend.🙄😂(smh)