I've always been receptive even as little kid. I knew there was two sides to every story, before my noticeable interests in stories began. Well I had two kids I hung out all the time with their dad accepted me and I spent most of my days at their house, being a black family they experienced life differently than I had but noticing my genuine interest and concern with the problems they faced their father made it known to me that whenever he talked about racism he wasn't talking about me because he knew I didn't see my friends as anything other than that. If it weren't for their father, I wouldn't have those conversations that brought me to tears as well as a deeper understanding of a plight I would've grown unaware without him. I could've been one of the ignorant people, I grew to openly detest. All because one man chose to share with me sorrow we catch ourselves hiding from everyone else wondering why we hurt. As I empathized my understanding grew to the point I detested everything that catered to that destructive ideology. I learned more through love and empathy than anyone can through hatred and disregard. If you don't understand something learn about it and actually invest energy towards knowing things you weren't taught because knowing just what other people taught us got us into this mess. I'm not better than anyone else, I'm just blessed that people saw my heart and understood that I wanted change because so many times people hoard their pain as if it's their identity and that furthers an imagined sense of self but it accomplishes little because people that would make those changes for your benefit, won't not because their bad people they just don't know. Ignorance can be fixed it's those that choose ignorance because they can't innovate you should be weary of. Love knows no bounds and as I get older I'll make damn sure that never changes. Parts of the black community that spoke to me were the people that understood the follie of their oppresors and chose to educate a pale half Mexican instead of grouping him along with ignorant people that would come to hate me because I'm adamant about eradicating the hatred they want so badly to be normalized. We can all strive for a deeper understanding of the world we inhabit regardless of your race, we all have something to offer. Don't let the color of your skin be an indicator of how much you know. Without that mustard seed of love I was given instead of perpetual hatred, I wouldn't be the man I am today. I also experienced the worst sides of the human race as well, from getting punched to concussions via camping chair but any person that talked to me other than attempting to maintain racist fear I never held dear, loved me for who I was and I always held to that dearly because we weren't put here to make things harder than they were. I still believe we're here to understand each other and cast aside those self-fulfilling notions that our problems are our identity. I've been hated for my skin, never for my mind. I'll keep it that way regardless of what anyone else has to say. When I was 8 this 14 year old hated my guts his little brothers that were my age tried tripping me as I passed them to get off the school bus I walked through their legs and their older brother the 14 year old I mentioned prior followed me off the bus and punched me in the eye, I held my eye and cried all the way home. I was honestly just upset that he genuinely thought his brothers had the right to pick on me probably because of my race cause I always been observant, I knew damn well I didn't target his brothers actively trying to make me trip. I used to walk about a mile or so in the opposite direction to hang out with my other friend across town cause he lived in a better part of town so I wouldn't have to chance running into someone 6 years older than me that thought I was genetically predisposed to racism when I heard all the dumbshit one could ever want to hear because my father was Hispanic. He knew my pigment not my character. If I said my life got easier, I'd be lying. Love to live, and live to love another day. 😍

© mojojojo2895