all mixed up

I wanted to share a thoughtful article from the Times (London) about the difficulties faced by people of mixed race.

A couple of friends face this situation with their son. She is black. Her husband is white. There are other interracial marriages and relationships in their families and circle of friends, so they have support and acceptance. I wonder how many challenges their son will face when he starts school and grows up.

When my mother was growing up in Hyde Park in the 1940s and 1950s, her family became close friends with a black family living around the corner. They were like extended family to each other, and some in each family remain close. I've always thought of them like family. I'd rather judge someone by who they are and how they treat others than by their race or ethnicity. It disappoints me that Chicago has made so little progress in overcoming segregation and discrimination in the last 60 years.

I find that life has more balance and richness in an integrated neighborhood. It was good to see the article in today's Chicago Tribune about an integrated block in Beverly. I hope that Chicago will have many more blocks like it by the time my friends' son is an adult.