Please Don't Say You Don't See Color

I'm Rayven

This is an original piece I wrote on January 23, 2017. Enjoy.

Don't use my ethnicity as a means to divide but use it as a means to understand where I'm from and what makes me different. I do see color and we should all see differences. To say we don't see color is weird and implies that differences are not good. It's okay to see me as a person who has brown skin, as long as you don't treat me badly because of it. It's okay and appropriate to notice that my skin's tone is different than yours, we learned how to distinguish colors in kindergarten. Just don't treat me with a lack of respect because of it. Don't let it divide us into a group of colors like we're a bunch of crayons. We aren't. I'm Rayven and I have so much to offer. I am kind and honest, I am creative and love to laugh. I love to inspire and encourage others. I can sing and write. I am worth more than the melanin of my skin. A brown crayon can only add color to a page so that is why it's called brown. All it offers is a shade. That's all it is. But I am not a color. I'm Rayven.

I long for a day when we no longer hate simply because of the way one looks, a day where we can actually embrace each other's differing yet beautiful qualities. A day where empathy surpasses smug tolerance and willful disdain. A day where love is not reserved for those with our same pigment.

Be kind to each other, guys.