Society as a whole has continuously made strides to a better future for everyone.

Since the beginning of the 1900s, laws have been made and amendments have been passed to allow women to vote, to get rid of segregation, and to allow marriage to be open for everybody. However, there's one thing no one is willing to talk about anymore, but has remained an issue in society since forever.

Love is love, and you should be able to love who you want to, right? So why can't my friends date someone of a different color?

I grew up in a very big and diverse family. I have a black uncle, mixed cousins on both sides of my family, and a half Puerto-Rican aunt. This is my life, and it's always been normal for me. It wasn't until middle school and high school that I realized this was not only not normal for everyone else, but interracial dating and marriage is still frowned upon.

I was shocked. What's even more shocking is that I realized my generation was actually doing something right: we embraced it! It was my parent's generation that was the problem, Generation X.

Growing up, I saw my friends lust over boys who they were not ALLOWED to date. I saw them hide relationships from their parents because of a boy's color. I saw my friends bury lies and secrets for years because they were in love with a boy they weren't allowed to love. I saw them sob uncontrollably because their parents didn't want to meet the boy they were seeing.

Parents, I encourage you to unconditionally love your children and be open to whoever they are and whoever they love.

Different is unique, and different is beautiful. Embrace different people in your lives! I couldn't imagine my family looking any differently.

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