Recently a kid came to me and asked me to sponsor a group/dance team type thing at school. I told her I would ask around to see if I would be able to do it. (Because I am no dancer.) When I asked around, most teachers told me that usually the African American teachers sponsored that, and I wouldn't be a good fit for it. This got me to thinking.

My family has a multitude of races in it. We have one hell of a family photo album, and I really never think of it anymore. And being on the internet, I never go: "Hello, what color are you?" I know the kids know I could handle it (the race difference), or they wouldn't have asked me. Now the dance part... I don't know.

I truly hope that everyone here sees me as a hot pink Poodles, but I was wondering what everyone has come across here lately as far as race is concerned.

Do you think we are progressing as a society?

"any race should be proud to be who they are" you say, but if it doesn't matter what race you are, what is there to be proud of? You might just as easily say that you should be proud of the number of fingers that you have.

"I saw more prejudice against myself and other "fat" girls than against any race, except the one time a black guy beat up a white guy over a chicken strip."

Did any white guy ever beat up a Black guy during your 4 years in high school? Or did you come from a town where all the white people were weaklings?

And the reason that Black and white are the two races people think about when race is mentioned, is that those are the two prominent races in the USA. The US Census Bureau might try to pretend that Hispanic is a race, but it isn't. The ability to speak Spanish is not a racial characteristic.

I did mention that I am from JASPER, TEXAS! Actually that was the only occurance of a fight between different races during my entire time in school K-12 at any given time. We all really didnt give a f*** what color anyone is. Yes race is a given, but skin tone is a gift of genes, while not having 10 fingers is caused by accident or birth defect, but skin color is a beautiful thing. You should read Seventeen Magazine sometime, this months issue is about accepting your flaws and your unique gifts from genes and making them beautiful and unique to yourself. This one very dark girl in there is absolutely GORGEOUS, but she never saw it till recently. Yes I think too much enphasis is put on "your not black enough" or "your not white enough" or "too white" "too dark" etc...But that makes people Beautiful and identifies them as unique no two skin tones can be totally identical and that makes us all unique. One should accept themselves for the color they are and become all they can be and be as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Uniqueness is key to beauty besided being symmetrical.

I cant emphasize this enough, in my school career, although I supposedly from a "racist town" I saw very little racism and more of a blend of cultures and such.

Now being a bigger girl in high school, and certainly not the biggest I was, along with the others, discriminated against by all the races (which isnt particularly relevant). But I say this because I want you all to realize they had other things to concern their gossip with than what color someone was. We got over differinitiating skin tone by 5th grade, and focused more on other things about people. Color doesnt matter, its no longer seen as an imperfection while being overweight, or having larger than usualy breasts, or a big nose and so on all are at the top of the list.

My kids are very young! They walk up and will play with any kidds that wants to play no matter what colored skin. I,am DISCRIMINATED against daily because Im INDIAN, NATIVE AMERICAN some call me ,INJUN, RED,CHIEF,whatever I used to get pissed off and want to fight the whole world growing up! I live in a very small town.How small you ask There is only one colored family in this town ( they say Black) and im the only NATIVE Family here.

I try and teach my kidds to love Nature and respect are Earth and fallow GOD,S Word try to get along with every body! You may not like aperson but at least try and show some respect.