I miss you.

I'm a little lost, ever since last Thursday when my Wallet, and the thousand dollar check from school went missing in the locker room.

I apologize for not posting lately, a commitment that doesn't nessecarily affect anyone outside of myself, but it was a commitment that I have been neglecting.

I've been thinking a lot about my ethnic background.

Something a classmate of mine said to me really hit me hard, and reenforced a ton of issues and angst I thought was dealt with and set down behind me in my past.

Wrong.
(My face was painted white as part of a makeup assessment, the girl who's art it was got an A!
This was her challenge;

This was her excecution;

Anyways, back to the other girl.)

She said, "Mina, you have very white features, not just your [makeup] I mean your features. I never would have guessed you were black if not for your hair!"

Mind you, this was completely out of left field, no warning or conversation leading up to it, and half my class agreed out loud. At first, I was hurt, and then I was angry, but then I realized that it's okay for some people to act that way. She just doesn't realize that our people are very very varied, and saying that someone doesn't look black, is kind of like saying that all black people look alike. My mother and I had this discussion last night and she told me something that will stick with me. She said, "We are the original people. Trace your family back far enough, and everybody's black. Egypt is in Africa, all of those biblical figures are black."

Think about that next time you want to say something stupid about my race.



On a lighter note, I don't know if you noticed but my braids are almost done! It's hard to do it yourself, so I'm really thankful I have friends in school to help me.



Love.
 - Mina