Linda Kaye Hollingsworth-Jones,
Emmett, ID
As a preschooler, my sisters asked if I knew my preschool teacher was black. Not in a mean way but in a “by the by” kind of way. I began thinking about blackness and began to look around me. My dad’s favorite musicians (Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, “Dizzy” Gillespie) were all black. Favorite entertainers were black. Hailed athletes were black. Those became my favorites as well along with others on TV and radio. I admired them and was sad that I was white. Obviously, I wasn’t slated for greatness, just a sorry, plain little white girl.
Racism is learned. Differences are beautiful and wondrous. Listening is essential. It brings dimension to our understanding. Acting even more so.
The photo is of me after meeting our youngest son, Adarsh, in Kolkata before bringing him home. Race is beautiful. He is beautiful. So are we all.
Celebrate! Don’t segregate, even in your heart or mind.
