I am a 20 year old female who lives in Idaho. I grew up in the Portland, Oregon area and moved to Idaho when I was about 11. Moving to Idaho was pretty interesting, especially since I moved to a small farming town before living in Boise for a few years. It was a culture shock. Mostly every resident in that town was white--something which is different than what I was used to. Portland and the surrounding areas are a culture pot, everybody was just an individual. But here, in this small town with population of mostly whites, racism was strong and extremely noticeable since I wasn't really around it growing up.

It still happened in Boise, but not as much as the smaller town I lived in before. In Jr.High and High School, I grew up hearing a lot of 'jokes' about race, and when I questioned them, I was told to stop taking things so seriously and get over it. "It's just a joke..." they say. I put it away. I stopped questioning those jokes, because I felt that it would only make things worse. But, here I am, a senior at Idaho State University, and I seriously question those 'jokes' more than ever. I question how people are being treated simply based on the color of their skin or the culture that they come from.

Being a Christian, I do face stereotypes. I get called a racist and a homophobic 'cis scum'. (Honestly, I really wish I could tell you what that means). I do get frustrated when I am singled into a stereotype, but here is the thing: nobody likes it. I was born into a family that has been fairly well off and being of lighter skin, I did not have to struggle personally with these harmful jokes. I do not know what it feels like to be hated by so many people because of the color of my skin, but I know that I have a voice that most don't have.

Check out this video before continuing this article; trust me, it will help you understand what I am trying to say. I can confirm one thing: Jesus loves us all. He does not look at the color of our skin as a bad thing. If he died for US, all of us, that makes you no less better than another, ESPECIALLY when it comes to sin. One thing I learned when I moved to Idaho is that there are some Christians that are racist, prejudice, and simply ignorant. Many of them grew up that way, and don't know how to think differently. Are you a white Christian reading this and still struggling with what I have to say? Here are some verses from the Bible that I find special, and you should too: Galatians 3:28, Romans 10:12, James 2:9, and so on. So why, 2000 years after Christ, are we still letting race be an issue? Why do we let these harmful stereotypes into our minds and our lives? We are told from Sunday school age that Jesus loves ALL the children of the world. He doesn't only love some of them, or that some are better. None of us deserve his love, but we get it anyways..if that is not a beautiful thing in itself, then what is?

I am a citizen of the United States, and I am a patriot. I do not agree with a lot of what the government has done and is doing, but I still love what our nation SHOULD be standing for (even though it does a poor job of it). We are all wrapped up in the election season right now, and many of us are disappointed. While browsing my Facebook, I stumbled across this:

Can we just be real here? Our ancestors wrongly tortured and killed millions and millions of Native Americans, and then we call it wrong for people to be upset that we are romanticizing all of this wrong doing? Am I crazy, or do people just not get it? This IS racism. Also, the second statement in the picture refers to Hillary Clinton, as I am sure most Americans can allude to on their own. But, as someone who does not support Clinton, or Trump either, and yet I find this practice of romanticizing a genocide that our ancestors conducted as wrong, means I support Hillary? What is even the logic in this statement? Am I the only one confused? Sure, US ourselves did not commit the genocide, but our ancestors did. We can, and should, apologize for their sins. It is okay to feel a little guilt and shame, I know I do. If we can just show those around us that had families that were severely affected by our history that they are loved for who THEY are, the world would see a shift from hate to love. Hate is completely on our terms-- it eats away at our lives and blinds us from the truth. It is an evil thing, and no good thing can come from it. Yet, we know these things about hate and we let hate still get to us. We let it fester at our core, and with hate comes offense. Do not feel offense, for it is just a reaction to hate.

We need to get in the right frame of mind; whether you are white or colored, woman or man, Christian or not, we can not let racism separate us from our humanity. This can't be okay anymore. It never should have been. Stating that you can't do anything about it simply because racism will never go away (and honestly, I don't think it will), doesn't mean that we just let it slide. It is not okay for us to be claiming that we are better than one another simply because we have a physical difference. We are all human, and that is what should matter. We are all individuals with feelings and emotions and blood running through our veins. We all experience heartbreak and grief and happiness. We are all loved by who matters the most, so why? Why do we let this continue throughout our children? Teach your child that every person deserves to be loved. If you hear your child say something racist,stop them and show them why it is wrong to think those things and to say those things.

I am a 20 year old white christian female who lives in Idaho, and I love you all. I love that we are all made so unique and different, and yet we are all the same--we are all human. If that isn't the most beautiful thing ever, then what is?