I used to be one of those people that wondered why race was a big deal.

I naively wanted everyone to get along because race doesn't matter, right? We're all pink on the inside. I thought that if I ignored the fact that you had darker skin, different hair, different facial features and lived in a different world, it wouldn't be a problem. I truly wanted to love you for the divine woman you are, but I went about it in all the wrong ways.

I know that I was wrong, and I hope you can forgive me for not seeing you. Forgive me for not seeing the beauty of your chocolate skin and how you care for it. Forgive me for not even thinking twice about the curls of your hair, and how a little change in the way your keratin forms could keep you from a decent job, or even get you kicked out of school.

Forgive me for asking, "Why didn't he/she comply with that policeman's orders?" instead of asking, "Why did they have to use that much force?" Forgive me for wondering if being shot or beaten to death was deserved. I had eyes that were blind, but now I see why you block the streets en masse, why sometimes your communities become violent. I live in a world where I never have to see that, and it's not my fault, but now I know better.

Forgive me for not engaging you in conversation because I was afraid you would be an angry black girl. Forgive me for buying into the stereotypes, perpetuating them, allowing others to fester in them too. I was wrong. Sometimes you are angry, but just like with everyone else, there are many times when your anger is justified. Sometimes you take on a piece of a stereotype, but mostly you are unique. You are individual. You are human, and you are beautiful.

Not only are you beautiful, but you are smart. Forgive me for thinking that the way you talk means you aren't as smart as me. That is really, really wrong. You are no more or less smart for your way of speaking than I am for mine. You have the same capacity for learning and advancement and I hope that if you're interested in science, like I am, that you will be brave and choose to learn, even if the world, or your community, or your family, tells you that you aren't good enough.

Forgive me for not doing more to lift you up. I've wanted to do so, but not known how. I worry more than anything that I will overstep my bounds and make something worse rather than better. But I hope this letter finds you. I want you to know that you are a special human being, even if the world tries to degrade or objectify you. I hope this letter helps other people to realize that they need to look deeper--to see you, to hear you. I'm no good at conveying my feelings in person, but I hope you can see my feelings now.

I want to help you make this a world where people can talk openly of their race and still get along. Please don't let this be the end of the conversation. We need each other. For my child, for your child, for our communities, for adults all over the world.

I am listening. There are others listening too.