Warning: I'm Shouting From My Soap Box

Warning: Today I am speaking from the emotions of my heart on a issue that I find truly despicable and detesting,RACISM.
There are not many things in this world that I just absolutely hate, but there is just this one thing that makes my blood boil and pressure rise and it is racism...... Many of you who frequent my blog have noticed by my pictures that I am an African American woman. I love my race and I love embracing and learning about other races and cultures. As a Christian, I have no room in my heart to dislike or to be unaccepting of any human being that was created by my heavenly father. I just wish the world thought the same.
Yesterday, an event happened with one of my girls that for me was just like pulling a band aid off a open sore- it stung and hurt like the dickens.
I know that many people of my generation believe that the race divide has shrank, and true it has tremendously, but when you grow up in and continue to live in the rural south, you almost forget that it has. You are reminded daily, in subtle, sometimes not so subtle ways. Myself, I can take it. I grew up in a town that was about 30 minutes from the national headquarters of the Klu Klux Klan. I grew up in an area where you were afraid to get stopped on back roads by the local law enforcement. I grew up in an area where the roots of hatred were so deep they seemed to be never ending, and those seeds were forcefully planted in the minds and hearts of the next generations, I am accustomed to the looks and the tobacco spits when you walk by, and the negative connotations that are said under the breath as you walk or drive by. I am used to the Confederate flag in front yards, truck bumpers, belt buckles, tee-shirts, and every where else you can slap it on. I'm used to that, and I used that to motivate myself to become more educated and to embrace all the knowledge that comes with learning about other people.
However, what I can't handle, is explaining this to my children. Every time I have to, it's like someone sucks the breath out of my lungs. How do you shatter the innocent love of a child by explaining the ghost of Jim Crow that lingers around, resurrected by his children's children. I know that this may be a sore topic for some, but for me its a reality. For my children it is becoming a reality. Trying to explain God's love and creation of all people in his likeness and image in one breath, and trying to explain why you are hated for the very distinguishable characteristics that makes us all different can be a task sometimes.
I say all this because I want to caution that just because we see strides in the racial divide, it is not closed completely. Racism is a lingering stench that floats in air in may forms. Please don't hide this ugly truth from your children when and if they see it and ask. They need to know that it's not from God and its a hurtful thing that makes him unhappy. We need to continue to plant seeds of love, teach them about other races, and cultures. Don't limit them to only Black History, there are so many other histories that we can all learn from. A good way to start, is with the Bible.
I know February is legally supposed to be black history month for the majority of this nation, but for me, it is a daily history lesson. History is constantly in motion. History never ends. History is always someones story of yesterday, and yesterday is every day.
Be Blessed and Stay Encouraged- smfg.