I know you have probably explained to your children why they cannot date outside of their race. However, as a young woman that is full of love and acceptance, I will never be able to understand the racist reasoning. I cannot keep silent about the issue any longer. Here are three common reasons parents will state, and my counter arguments.
"You have different morals and standards than they do." Everybody is raised differently. What fun is a relationship if everything about the other person is the same as you? New experiences are what make a relationship so fun and exciting. Do not make someone else's morals and standards seem lower than your own. Please stop judging people just because they are different than you.
"They live in bad neighborhoods and most of them are thugs." I am so sick of hearing this statement. Please stop reading too much into the movies and television shows. Not all white families are rich and live in nice neighborhoods. Not to mention, not all Mexicans and African Americans live in bad neighborhoods. Please, stop stereotyping everyone. Instead, take time to learn about who they are. Everyone has a unique story to tell.
"This is how my parents raised me, so this is how I am going to raise you." My parents always tried to push this concept into my brain, but I never listened. Most of our parents were being raised during a time when racism was praised. It is now 2016, not 1950.
These are just a few things that our parents tell us to make it seem that this concept is acceptable. However, I will not accept any of those ignorant reasons. There is so much hate and discrimination in our world and not enough love and acceptance. This concept is part of the reason racism still exists. We have parents teaching children that it is okay to say "I cannot date you because of your skin color" and expect their children to be treated equally and accepted by everyone. How can you do that if you are teaching your child to do the opposite? Love does not discriminate based on skin color. Please keep in mind that under our skin, the color of our blood is the same.