Understanding the Impact of Racial Divide on Society Today

A Message of Unity and Healing

As I’ve been listening to conversations and reels today, I’ve found the words I’ve been searching for—words rooted in love, not division.

I have friends of many backgrounds—Black, White, and everything in between. Some are deeply educated and thoughtful, yet still carry pain shaped by what they’ve been taught about race and history. Others accept me fully, jokingly calling me their “ride or die,” trusting me with their lives. These experiences have taught me something simple and powerful: connection happens when fear is replaced with understanding.

I do not see people through the lens of race. In my heart and faith, we are all one under God, part of the same human family. The past does not have to define who we are today, nor should it be used to keep us divided. Much of what we are taught about history—on all sides—has been distorted in ways that fuel separation rather than healing.

I have experienced the beauty of true community.

Years ago, I attended a Bible study in Houston where I was the only White woman in the room. At first, I felt guarded energy—defenses shaped by pain and experience. Yet, within weeks, one woman who initially judged me became my closest friend. Soon, the group realized I wasn’t there to harm, infiltrate, or judge—only to learn, love, and grow. To this day, I cherish those women and remain in contact with many of them.

I know Black people to be loving, intelligent, family-oriented, strong, and kind. I also see pain—pain that sometimes turns into resentment, just as I see resentment and self-hatred among White people as well. Hatred has no single color. We all bleed the same red blood.

As a child, no one chooses their skin color, their gender, or the family they are born into. I once tried to explain this to my parents in a long letter, because this divide has always hurt me more deeply than I realized. Only recently have I fully understood how much.

Hearing Black men speak openly about the need to heal, grow, and move beyond inherited anger deeply touched my heart. It takes courage to speak truth within your own community, and I honor those who do.

Please—let us stop judging one another by skin color. Character matters. Integrity matters. Love matters. One bad person does not define an entire group—Black or White. Believing otherwise is not wisdom, not education, and not spiritual.

I believe we would heal faster if race were removed from places where it continues to divide rather than protect. We are people first—human beings, neighbors, and citizens—sharing the same hopes for safety, dignity, and belonging.

My prayer is simple: That we see each other clearly. That we listen without defensiveness.That we choose unity over fear. And that we remember—we are far more alike than we are different.