My daughter was recently accosted by a man outside a Dollar Store in Barstow, California, by a black man wearing a Dashiki. The Dashiki is a colorful men's garment widely worn in West Africa that covers the top half of the body. The Dashiki was introduced as a way to protest society' s disrespect for African Americans. It was a symbol of affirmation, standing for "black is beautiful," a return to African roots, and insistence on full rights in American society. http://www.answers.com/topic/dashiki

Personally, I think a Dashiki is a handsome piece of clothing and there is nothing wrong with wearing something that is representative of your heritage. My son loves to wear his Kilt on special occasions. He too is proud of his heritage but would never presume to tell another Irish person that they should stay with their own kind. It would be highly rude and show a lack of humanism, intelligence and social ethics. He has also been taught that racism is not acceptable!

This gentleman, and I use the term loosely, upon seeing my daughter enter the store with my mother and I, a Read-headed white woman, waited for her to come out of the store so he could talk to her. She came out ahead of us, as she smokes, and we do not! At that time he began to tell her, how she needed to stay with her own kind!

My daughter is a lovely, gentle person–usually! She was appalled though at the few choice words he had to say about those white people she was with. She let him know very clearly that those white people, were her mother and grandmother.

It was about that time that I came out of the store and found her speaking to a man who was giving me very dirty looks. I had no idea what was going on. She walked over to me and said, Mom, some people are real ignorant!" I asked her what was wrong. She had filled me in by the time we got to the car and got her grandmother who uses a walker in the car. It was too late for me to go and speak with the man who upset her. The coward had disappeared!

We may not look alike but love has no eyes and the heart is color blind. God sees only our hearts and calls each one of us who recognizes him as the Father his children. He loves each one of us no matter our color. Thank God that most of us have learned how to love through those same eyes.

It makes no sense to me that the fight for desegregation and equal rights that was fought so fiercely for many long years, and so long ago (and thankfully won) is being trampled on by some of the descendants of those who may have even given their lives in those fights for justice.

Why would anyone in their right mind want to go back to being segregated into groups who must not intermingle again? This is the talk of insanity. It must be, anything else is unbelievably shallow and ignorant.

My grandparents and parents stood up next to many of their black friends and helped to fight for the equality of all. We were taught that we are all equal in the eyes of God and that racism was flat wrong! Therefore, we taught our children the same thing.

The parents of this world, are charged with the responsibility of stopping the absurdity of racism. If each generation teaches equality, respect, friendship and love then that is what we will have. If each generation continues to pass down, the ridiculous concept on inequality, disrespect, hatred and the desire to segregate again you will continue to spawn hatred and chaos.

Where whatever clothing you wish. Be proud of your heritage, respect it enough to never want to undo what your ancestors fought so hard to secure for you. Make them look down on you with pride, seeing dignity in your actions. That goes for every color, every heritage! We all had to fight for something at some time!

By the way, my daughter never mentioned that we are her foster parents. You see, she loves unconditionally. We do not introduce her as our foster daughter either. If people have a problem with color, that is to their shame, not ours. We love her and color doesn't matter to us, she is as much our daughter as our other children are! She is 46 years old now.