God has shown me there will be times when I speak words that are hard to convey at the moment. As a speaker,writer and blogger, I treasure this beautiful space. We laugh, we cry, we share our hearts, but most of all…We embrace each other when times get tough. The events that have happened in the last couple of days are absolutely heartbreaking. I see a world filled with so much hate and division. I see people the fear and pain in people’s eyes as they navigate through our new normal. I want to be completely transparent with you when I talk about this topic because I want you to know where my heart is. I am disappointed in people who don’t think diversity is beautiful. I am disappointed in people who hate other races for no reason. I want to openly discuss the pain that has hit our nation yet again.
My family heritage is diverse, but at the end of the day we are a black family in the United States of America. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I’ve heard, “You’re so pretty, for a black woman.” Or the shock and awe I’ve seen on some people’s faces when they find out I’m a Therapist and have a Master’s Degree. It breaks my heart to admit that I’ve faced racism several times in my life and in some cases, racism was found in places where it shouldn’t exist at all. I’m incredibly comfortable in this skin of mine. I own who I am and I love who God has called me to be.
I grew up in a military family. My family moved to different duty stations, but for a long time, we were the only black family in the neighborhoods we lived in. We never experienced racism in our neighborhood. My parents raised us to love people for who they are. We have friends of all races. Does it hurt my heart to see this world in such an uproar? Yes! God created us because He has a purpose and plan for our lives. We all deserve a chance to live without being racially profiled or discriminated against. I look at the next person as my brother or sister in Christ regardless of their skin color. We do have a race problem in our world, but the bigger problem is a heart problem. You can not hate anyone and claim to love Jesus. You can not discriminate against people and think you are following God. Right now God is allowing the scales to fall off our eyes and He wants us to bring attention to the problem at hand. We have to keep conversations going.
As influencers, we can use our platform for good and not only shine a light on the current situation but the situation that has been happening for the longest time. We need to encourage brands and media to broaden their views and show the world what diversity looks like. Brands that tend to represent one outlook aren’t showing what our world looks like and this needs to change. Change often begins with understanding another person’s point of view. My heart breaks knowing yet another black person has lost his life for no reason. I stand tall when I say George Floyd’s death is a tragedy and my heart breaks for his family. As Christians its time for us to stand and call attention to the things that matter most and that’s love. Martin Luther King once said,
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” What the world needs right now is God’s love. Will you join me in spreading His light? We are stronger standing together, not apart. -Inspirational Speaker Anita Ford
Mental Health, Fashion and Lifestyle Blogger,Anita Ford 