Where is the Love?

WARNING: This is going to be a very honest post. This is one of the biggest cries of my heart, and I am passionate about what I am going to write about right now. Hear me out...

Last night, Jamie and I went to the gym kinda late. He got home late from work, we had dinner, watched some Prison Break episodes, played with Leia and decided it was time to go get our sweat on. Much to my surprise, MTV was playing Freedom Writers the movie, and that is one of my all time favorites. (Okay, here's where I get dorky...I have a dream (Just like MLK), that I will change the world one day. That may not be the whole world, but I want to change someone's world.) And I'm serious about that. Movies like Freedom Writers, Remember the Titans, The Great Debaters, Glory Road, Coach Carter, The Blind Side and even Hairspray give me the confidence and the inner power to want to make a change in our world.

One of my biggest pet peeves is ignorant racism...on all sides. Thankfully, my parents raised me and my sister to be colorblind. Our pre school teachers were a bunch of African ladies who sang to us and taught us about their culture and were the sweetest ladies on the face of this earth. I had friends in elementary school of all different colors and races. I'll never forget about a little girl who came to Jenks in 2nd grade. She was Hispanic and didn't speak a lick of English. My teacher told me that she was going to be my "buddy" for her first few weeks at Jenks. We had a hard time communicating obviously, but she was a delight in my life. We were great friends and now she's a college grad and still a friend in my life :) I also remember in 1st grade, we got a new black boy in my class. We were playing "heads up, seven up" and I tapped his head, and wondered why it was different than mine. He laughed and told me that black people hair was different than white people hair. I thought that was so cool, and he thought I was funny. I had 2 black dates to Homecoming my sophomore year. One of my best guy friends in high school is a black guy. I've worked at an inner city camp for 2 summers. I had Asian friends, Hispanic friends, black friends, Middle Eastern friends. Why in the world do friendships like that not exist everywhere?!

When we moved to Memphis, I was warned over and over again by everyone about how racist this city is. Racist towards EVERYONE! I didn't believe it, because racism did not exist in my life, but then I moved here. I have even been told not to work in city schools, because I'd be the only white girl. Really? Why would people even say that? Rarely do you see people of different colors hanging out with one another. Rarely am I treated nicely by someone of a different color anywhere I go. Everyone's got this hidden agenda against everyone who looks different from them. Why? Answer me that. Yes we all have a lot of history involving horrible racism. And yes, it was typically whites treating others horribly who look different from them. But what did I do? What did I, Abby Schoenthaler, do to you to make you treat me horribly?

Call me naive, but I don't understand why we can't all be friends. Why should I have to be scared to drive in certain parts of Memphis, even in the daylight, just because of my white color? Why are you nice to the person of your same race, but when I approach you, you treat me like a dog?

When did this hatred start? When did it all begin, when someone looked at a person who looks different from them and thought, "I hate you, because you look and act different." Millions of Jews were brutally killed (and that's putting it nicely), simply because they looked different. Why did Hitler issue that millions of homosexuals, Polish people, Russians, Jews, etc be killed off because they were different from him? What are people thinking when they carry all of this hate within them, simply because they are different from other people?! Just stop!

"Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."

Isn't that how that song goes? We all know it, but why don't we act like it? God created all of us very different. We look different, act different, speak different, walk different, hold our pencils different, like different foods, have different hobbies, enjoy different music and sports, and live in different parts of the world. But why does that have to set us apart?

This past year, I was a permanent substitute teacher in a 2nd grade class, and I had several kids of different races in my classroom. You would never know the kids could tell the difference. I love that innocence about them. They could care less if you live in an apartment, a condo or a 2 story home. They could care less if you were fat or small or black or mixed or white or Hispanic. They just love each other and are friends regardless of their appearance or possessions. The movie, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was so sweet, and heart breaking and innocent. The friendship between the prisoner and the German child was precious and naive. Why can't we have that innocence as adults? At what point do we start looking at color and begin judging, and who is going to step up with me and choose a different way of living?

Our pastor at Bellevue a few weeks ago went on a big tangent about the hatred all around the city of Memphis. He started asking, "why are we so ugly to one another? Even Christians treat others horribly. When will Christian blacks and Christian whites get along? When will Christian Hispanics and Christian Asians get along? When can we start looking past color and history, and start fresh? Why the hatred?" I sat there in church, with tears streaming down my face, because I have been asking myself the same thing. Who is going to step up and make a change? Who is going to wake up and decide to live a different life? Who is going to put racial ignorance aside and love people for who they are, and not what they look like.

Here is a journal entry from "The Freedom Writers Diary":

*Diary 31*

Dear Diary,

The bell rang and everybody walked into class. All the desks were up against the wall. There was a table full of plastic champagne glasses and bottles of apple cider all around the room. I thought, "What the hell is going on? Are we having a party?" I saw Ms. Gruwell waving her arms around like a crazy lady, but no one was reacting to her caffeine high. We all knew the effect caffeine had on Ms. Gruwell.

Throughout the class period, things began to change drastically. Ms. Gruwell stood on the desk and began to talk about 'Change'. I thought, 'What is this lady trying to do? What does she mean by change?' Then people started crying. I thought to myself, 'Why is everyone crying?' I didn't understand.

.....Everyone changes as they get older, no matter if it's good or bad. I so I guess I was offered an opportunity that not many people have. I got a second chance to change my life for the better. I thank God that he sent an angel to give me that chance to change.

I was always known as the person that was going to be a druggie, or get pregnant before I turned fourteen and drop out. Now I have the chance to prove them wrong.

Erin Gruwell had to students make a "toast to change". They began reading many books about the Holocaust, so that they could learn how ugly and deadly hatred really is. They made a toast to change their lives and have a different outlook. If you are reading this and you have struggled with a racist attitude towards those different than you, make a personal "toast to change" just for yourself. Please. Go get out the bubbly if you wish or just say a prayer and make a real life "toast to change" your outlook. It's not too late. Let's start looking at the world with a different view. No more preconceived notions about a certain group of people. No more fear when you're the minority. No more judging. No more ugly looks or remarks. No more mean thoughts. Live a life of acceptance, and if someone doesn't accept your new life...that's their problem. Be different. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." --Mahatma Gandhi. Make a change. Make that change today.

If you want some inspiration, go out and watch one of the movies I mentioned in the first paragraph. Go read the book, "The Freedom Writers Diary". Oh, it's inspiring! Change your perspective. Be the change.

As always, I love you guys and wish the best for you all today!

Your Fan,

Abby