By Janice S. Ellis, Ph.D., Kansas City, MO –

Interracial issues abound in many aspects of our daily lives. They are often inescapable, whether walking down the streets, sitting in a classroom, teaming together at work or sitting in our living room relaxing with our favorite communication medium. More often than not, bigotry, bias, and prejudice, if not blatant racism are interwoven or on the fringe of the experience either blatantly or subliminally. Sometimes, we may be totally oblivious to what lens through which we view an interracial couple, a bi-racial child.

Old customs, old ways of thinking, segregated ways of life, linger, die a slow death, influencing our perceptions and reactions to any interracial encounter.

Interracial issues abound, still. Photo credit: newgenerationbride.com

How do we confront those beliefs and feelings, and come to terms with power of their sway, and begin to look at race and interracial relationships anew?

The future wellbeing of our kids, our communities, our cities, our country, as well as our society will remain at risk until we become comfortable with having an honest, open, and on-going conversation as uncomfortable, and distressing, as they might be about those views of race that have kept us in their clutches and continue to do so. Interracial issues abound, and we cannot escape them. So why ignore them?

Consider that in the 21st Century, we still have groups, made up of old and young alike, that still believe in racial superiority, racial purity, human servitude and suppression. Hanging on to such anachronistic notions is merely a breeding ground for extremists and terrorists, if they come in white hooded robes, serpentine turbans or shrouds, or AK47 toting mercenaries.

America is not the only nation with race relations challenges. Like global warming, it is a problem that continues to threaten all nations  lesser or greater degrees. At worst, we have our vigilante and white supremacist groups while other states have their ethnic cleansing. And like global warming, if we continue to disregard race relations, it may finally be our undoing.

With global warming and the rest of the problems we confront here at home and throughout the world, why do we want to constantly spend valuable energy, time, and resources on attempting to emphasize, and hold on to those superfluous, trivial things that divide us? Why do things like skin color, the food we eat, the music we listen to, where we gather to worship even if we believe in the exact same God but call Him by another name, create this kind of separatism in our society?

At what point, will we spend time plus energy to better comprehend our differences, take time to observe that which we hold in common, and what binds us as human beings. We’re all part of a single race: The human race. Until we accept that fact as one which sets us apart from everything else on planet earth, then we’ll never make progress on those day-to-day problems that divide us or the actual problems that threaten our very existence.

Feature photo credit: virtualsexdatinggames.blogspot.com

Edited and Reprinted with Permission of USAonRace.com