If You Had A White You

It sounds quite odd I admit but this is a real possibility that I am very intrigued by. I recently read a story of several layers about two teenage brothers, one is Black and one is White. Their parents are Black and White and apparently, the father’s European genes carried and mixed with the mother’s European genes to make a White child. In light of recent events it interested me to think about the role of race when you’re able to see someone who looks identically the same but in a different shade. 

The brothers are not completely identical of course; one brother is gay while the other is straight, one is headed for college and the other an apprenticeship. Nonetheless, their connection has unsurprisingly led to some shared trauma. There have been many raised eyebrows and some severe instances of bullying requiring police intervention. Most notably, these incidents involve racial attacks on the brothers for just beingbrothers. 

My biggest interest in this story, however, is not how the difference of race has cost them but what has it afforded them. I can only imagine the difficulty of growing up in such a circumstance but my hope is that it would shape a sharp sense of compassion and humanity. While peers are going through stages of judging others based on race and other ‘isms’ I wonder if I could knowing that my brother who looks just like me would be a potential target of said judgment.

In a sense I find the life of these two brothers to be a manifestation of the divine way that God challenges us to see ourselves and each other through his eyes: colorless.

For a moment, imagine yourself with a white brother or sister identical to you physically. How would you see that person? How would you see yourself?

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