Color Me

I today am proud to say that I AM BLACK! For the longest time I had an issue with being black, I was not comfortable in my own skin. When people look at me they see this Brown Man with a strong red undertone, and "nice grade of hair" and say "what is your mix". Never would I say Im black first. It was alway, "Im native indian, Irish, and black" saving black for last because I wanted to be black the least. Growing up in the Ghetto streets of Los Angeles, I attributed being black to being hookers, drug dealers, loud, obnoxious individuals. A people that I did not want to be apart of. It went so far as I was not even attracted to African American's. They had to either be mixed or white. This I struggled with for the better portion of my life. Yes, I knew there were people in the black community who were not what was portrayed in my hood, but it was hard to look past it. At the age of 26, I was on the verge to coming to terms that BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL! At 27, I met a gorgeous Black female who became my girlfriend for a year, and then began dating a Black man who really opened my eyes to another world of blackness. Today, when people ask me what my race is, I say proudly, " I AM BLACK"! To finally be at peace with myself is a wonderful feeling! I except my COLOR!