I Am African AND American

Playing games with friends and Daddy!

I have always loved people - and been fascinated and pulled towards people of other cultures especially.  When I was in first grade I remember learning about the Hopi Indians.  And about the cruelties of white man to the American Indians.  I came home and asked my Mother how people could be so mean.  As my Mom tried to explain, I just couldn't get over the unfairness of it all.  I cried.  (Can you imagine?  My poor Mother.)

From then on I wanted to be someone else - I went through a phase where I begged my Mom to let me die my hair black (yes, that was when I was 6) - I wanted to be an Indian!  I'm sure my Mom tried to tell me how wonderful I was just as I was, but I wouldn't hear it.  Well, thankfully I am no longer wishing to be something I'm not, but instead I know I am blessed to be me.

When I was called to go on a mission to preach the gospel in the Netherlands I was overjoyed at a chance to see more of the world and meet people from a different culture!  Little did I know that my life would drastically change course while there.  The people who loved to speak to us and who would readily hear our message were from Africa.  I had pictured meeting new people in the Netherlands, but didn't know that they would be African.  Needless to say I completely fell in love with them all!  I loved how welcoming they were, how they loved the Lord and how easily they accepted and loved other people.  I was fascinated by their stories and inspired by their eagerness to better their lives for them and for their children.  I met so many people from so many cultures, but the African people I met had a special place in my heart.

When I knew I was returning home, I was dismayed to think of all the cultures I would leave behind, and I promised myself I would somehow keep in touch with the cultures I had learned to love and respect.  I joined an African club on campus and that's where I met my husband.

I like to say that I joined the African club for life!  Only...  Of course, it's not a club, it's my life!  Half of my heart has become African.  My language, food, activities, beliefs, friends and my family; everything I now do and have in my life is greatly influenced by African culture!  And I wouldn't have it any other way!  Don't get me wrong, it's not always easy.  Combining cultures can be difficult.  We think differently, we see things from different perspectives and sometimes have a hard time understanding each other.  And every time someone asks me if my children are adopted or I see my husband's frustration when people treat him differently, or I hear what people say about our President - who's father is African and mother is white American - I feel a sinking in my heart.  But I feel so blessed to have another culture in my life, to know and understand that the world is so much bigger than one language, one people, or one country.  Even though my skin is white, my native tongue is English, and I was raised in America - I am African AND American.  And I hope that my children will learn to love their heritage from both sides of their family - I hope that whatever struggles they may have will make them stronger and that they will learn to stand up proudly and say that they too are African AND American!