Understanding Words

Well, it happened that I had an understanding soul in my on-line course who addressed the "colored" issue, prior to my final online commentary. Even though she was not African-American, she understood the offense well enough to convey it to the other student. It felt good to know that others can defend people of color without being a person of color.

Eventually, I took the time to explain to the unintentionally offensive writer that the term was no longer acceptable and offered to help act as a sounding board for any future questions about African-Americans (in general).

While the term colored was indeed hurtful, it is up to each of us to understand the perspective of others who may not have had ANY contact with diverse people. How are they expected to know the changing tides of cultural sentiments if we do not share our true thoughts about controversial thoughts and words?

TRUE UNDERSTANDING BEGINS WITH
UNFILTERED AND HONEST DISCUSSIONS.