Representation without Pretense

I was today years old when I finally understood all the hubbub about representation. Today I finally got it. It was a "Wow! I coulda had a V8!" moment for me, and that is as sad as it is exciting.

What triggered my moment?

I was scrolling through LinkedIn and a random post caught my attention - a black man posted a photo of himself and his nieces with their hands on a table next to Band Aid brand "Ourtone" bandages in two different tones of brown. His post was about the teachable moment made available in finding bandages in representative skin tones.

And it hit me.

Mind you, I'm not racist. But until today I hadn't really given representation two seconds of thought. Why?

Because I'm not racist.

Because I rarely give a second thought to someone's skin color, cultural upbringing, sexual preference, or background.

Because I have the privilege of not caring about anyone's skin color.

Because to consider some aspect of someone that is different than me has typically meant that I must consider treating them differently - and I have refused to do that.

Until now.

As a Christian and self-professed Servant Leader, none of that has ever mattered to me. That is a choice I make daily - to be no respecter of persons - to treat everyone the same - no matter their differences.

I have not cared about your skin color because I have never ascribed any difference to you for looking different than me. That has been my privilege. That has been my error.

Until now.

You see, Servant Leader, if we are to understand those we serve, then we must see the world through their eyes. We cannot understand someone's perspective until we share it, even a little. Today, I finally saw just a little piece of the world through the eyes of someone forced to put tan or pink or at best clear bandages on their skin. You might say that is such a small thing. So did I.

Until now.

Today, I get it. Servant Leader, when the powers that be don't look like us, they don't see the need to make us feel comfortable. Houses and cars aren't generally built for seven-foot-tall or three-foot-tall people. Office furniture is not built for five-foot-tall ninety-pound women or six-foot-tall four-hundred-pound men. And bandages aren't made for black people. These things have been misrepresentative of the whole of the population since - forever.

Until now.

So, then what do we do about it? Well, for starters, we can admit that in our zeal to not be racist and to treat everyone the same no matter what, we have ignored the truth that aligns with the fact that people aren't the same. People are different.

What did I do when I realized my error? I wrote a blog, for starters. Why? Because I'm a tactile learner and writing solidifies the lesson in my brain. Also, maybe, because you will read my blog and come to the same realization that I have.

It isn't enough to not be racist. We must be anti-racist. That means understanding perspective. That means realizing that representation matters.

Faith without works is dead. (James 2:17)

Thank you, Rosetta, and your 193,000+ views on LinkedIn.