In my youth I felt like the white pegs on the board in the picture. Unseen. It was hard enough growing up as an African American, but much harder growing up under the label 'no color'. Which was sometimes what a light skinned Black is called by our people. Being light skinned made it easier to be accepted by the White teachers and White students and challenged (beat down, berated) by the (some)Black teachers and Black students. Sort of reverse racism and backhanded slaps.

 Racism/Prejudices are the hardest thing in the world to change. No matter what color you are you are sometimes Unseen. One of my visitors yesterday had this to say about my "T" post--

 "I generally feel a bit timid about being seen choosing "black" books -- as if black people would think I shouldn't be interested in them, because maybe they'd think I think they're a hobby or special interest or something."

Wow, unbelievable. *hangs head in shame* How awful we are to make a person have this kind of feeling. Makes me think of teenagers  hiding porn mags in a brown bag. Not that I've ever done it. But it seems like 'we' with our prejudices drive the world to feel as if holding a book from someone of the opposite color is something to be ashamed of and to keep under cover.

I must say, I'm not always drawn to all AA books. I haven't lived the 'Black Urban experiences in some of the books and I don't always want to read them. I'm not a Tyler Perry 'die hard' fan, though when nothing else is on I do watch it on TV. I (slap me if you must) don't like Beyonce's music, or clothing or acting and that's more to a representation kind of feeling. It just goes to show we are all individuals with our own tastes.

I just think we should be able to walk to the romance section  or  any section for that matter of the bookstore and see faces of color and not have to slither through the store to the AA section.

What we need to realize is, nothing changes without "U". As an adult I have come to know those invisible uncolored pegs we're not representing me, but surrounding me to show me the real me and saying 'You matter'. I have a rainbow of faces on my shelves. I stand in the book stores and I buy and read in color. No one stands unseen.

More A-Z challengers     
My other blog

On my other blog speaklowericanthearyou.blogspot.com I have entered the challenge to blog A-Z. We are on  the letter R. I want to share what I Received in the mail yesterday from Michael Hyatt after reading Chris Brogan's blog.

I can't wait to read this book. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years is a memoir by Donald Miller sharing the idea of living our lives as if it were a story and how we can edit our experiences to be a great read.

I love receiving books. Especially when they are free. Thanks Mr. Hyatt.

I read and so I write. I read the prologues in books, I like it when a character talks to another character and tells them something about themselves. I like the back story, the fore story and everything within the middle. I like books and when I venture into a bookstore I travel up and down the aisles looking at titles and covers. Sometimes I buy these books and sometimes I’m just browsing because it’s better than walking in the park in the deep heat of Texas or in the wet cold of its winters.
Now when I do slap down my money and purchase a book it’s because I want to know something. Entertainment is great, but I still want to know what’s really going on. I want the author to suck me in with description and not always with shock to the heart blood curdling action. I want to get to know these people I have brought into my home and sometimes share my bed. I want to know why the female character didn’t slap the hell out of the person that irritated her so much. Was it something in her past? How would I know if there is no back story or a bit of biography somewhere in the story line? It doesn’t bother me to read about my character waking, or dreaming (night or day). Not even if she/he’s a narcoleptic maniac.

Sometimes I like to read about the ‘name brand’ items the characters own or wants to buy. They may be just the form of advertisement that spurs me on to purchase my own item or better yet, make me congratulate myself for having the terrific foretaste to have already purchased that item.

I write prologues and sometimes I don’t. I write back stories or my characters talk so much eventually they will even spill the beans on the size panties their mom wears. And then sometimes I don't. I write anything from history to picture books and that’s the way I read. I write because I read.
In other words…if all of these things are taken out of books and the entire writing process becomes a dot to dot formula, who will read? We already live in such a two-minute commercial based world and before you know it books will be written in 140 characters or less and that will be it and all. But if that's what it takes to get a book published, then people (my characters) shut the hell up about your mama, get over your past life, and get some action going for the future, 'cause you have a ticket for 
the query train.
Ok, usually I save posts like this for my rant blog-PencilnPen because sometimes I talk.
-PencilnPen because sometimes I talk.

Comments are appreciated.