It is hard to believe in this day we still deal with 'ism's'. Racism, classism, sexism, weightism. Any 'ism' you can think of.

Being a 'poi dog' as they say in Hawaii, I am a mixture of mother's Native American heritage and my father's Hawaiian-Chinese lineage. Many may say this makes for an exotic and beguiling mixture. And of course I agree with this view. I have never really thought of myself as a minority. I had always thought that being a woman was more of a handicap than being olive skinned.

When my children were small, I had to fill out forms for school & sports. These forms had a section that asked the question of race. Race? Why human of course!! Unfortunately, they only offered one choice and my children have the blessing of many ethnicities.

I am grateful for the sacrifices those champions of civil rights have made. The courage and fortitude they displayed for the most basic of human rights. These brave acts enable all of us legal recourse for any discriminatory behavior in certain areas of life. But what laws cannot change is the human condition. The way people treat each other. I have blithely gone through life on the basis of my drive and intelligence. It had not occurred to me that I would be treated badly due to the hue of my skin, my weight or socioeconomic class. I want to believe that people are better than that. History and the daily news say differently. But I will continue to believe and act according to my beliefs. We are all deserving of dignity and respect.