During a retreat for people of color and their families preceding this year’s Friends General Conference Gathering, four young Friends aging from 15 to 18 wrote a minute answering the question “What is it like to be someone of color in everyday life?”
We discussed that we are viewed differently as a person of color, but we understand that other people are raised differently, come from a different culture and background. As European descents, they perceive us with stereotypes before they comprehend our personality and characteristics. As a result, they put us in boxes because they misjudge us.
We have come to the conclusion that our skin color is not the only thing that makes us stand out. Quakerism is another thing that specifies our distinctness among others.
The religion of Quakerism shows nonviolence and peacefulness, and we try to educate others to do the same. Another core part of being Quaker is believing that there is a God and there is that of God in everyone, but it’s sometimes difficult to remember because of how people distinguish our ethnicity.
—Erica McQuartin, Elanna Reber, Norma Cusin, and Sarawila Villatoro-Weir
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