The topic of race and diversity is never an easy topic to discuss. It makes people weirdly uncomfortable, and in certain situations it can be extremely awkward. I have watched quite a few TED talks in my life and although they have all been incredibly inspiring, this one hit me the hardest. I’ll be honest, I feel like every time race is brought up it’s the same thing over and over again and it always starts with history. Mellody Hobson just got straight to the point about her real life experiences as an African American woman. The stories she told were really something to think about. The story that really stuck out to me (even though all of her personal stories were intriguing), the one that struck me the hardest was when she was talking about a party she went to with all white kids. It’s true, in most situations a parent would be asking “did you have a great time?” or “what did you guys do?” but her mother’s first question was, “how did they treat you?” Honestly, it made me think for a second because my mother never had to say that to me. It just makes you think about how easy you have it compared to someone else who is different.  

"Don’t be color blind, be color brave”

The quote "don't be color blind, be color brave" is such a powerful statement. Yes, it is "hard, awkward, and uncomfortable" to talk about race and other differences in people, but completely ignoring it and not vocalizing it will do absolutely nothing to fix the problem at hand. Like the tweet by Nayyirah Waheed...

"Never trust anyone who says they do not see color. This means to them you are invisible" 

This is a very bold but (unfortunately) true statement. If you are not looking at people as being different than you are saying that everyone is all the same, which obviously is not true. By appreciating everyone for their differences, you are giving them a voice and opening yourself to new beliefs and ideas. If everyone was made exactly the same and came from the same place and looked exactly the same, this world would be in pretty tough shape if you really take the time to realize it. People from different cultures, backgrounds, and religions bring so much to the table. Everyone has different experiences and everyone thinks differently which is truly the beauty of people. Different is beautiful. Without difference we would basically be robots...which is horrifying to think about. I like different. I like being different. I like being able to bring different perspectives to the table because I am a young, female, Jewish woman. I am different than anyone else I have ever met, and I like to embrace that. I think everyone should be able to embrace themselves for who they are, not what they look like or believe in. 

"Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together."

-Jacqueline Woodson