“Colors of the World”

At a trip to Walmart, I came across the crayon collection above, “Colors of the World” supposedly representing the skin colors of “people from all around the world”. If you look at the bottom photo, top row, the second and third colors from the right, note those colors: I don’t know about you, but I have not met any blue or green people! Nor looking at the white colors because if a ‘white’ person was actually white, I hope he would be going immediately to see a doctor. And I have thought that the designation of the color “yellow” for Asians in general is really off as I have never seen any human being the same color as the mustard I put on my hot dog. Native Americans are certainly not “red” like a stop light. The Rev. Jesse Jackson and others, to emphasize the diversity of races, formed the “Rainbow Coalition”. Those colors above certainly don’t look like a rainbow.

In my thirties, I was part of board of a Lutheran organization and about 20 people served on it, mostly male, white, in their 60s and 70s and all with white hair. As I was wool gathering at a meeting I realized they/we aren’t white but actually pink and with white hair. Pink and white. And now my hair color qualifies me for the pink and the white. Huh, us white people are not really white, but generally, pink. And most black people are actually brown. It’s a “black and white issue” certainly is ameliorated by calling what it actually is a, “pink and brown issue”.

Now I did not look further at the crayon collection above to see what each color is named! I think I its time for another field trip to Walmart! My thought is that even the designation of the names of the shades of humankind are kind of, well, racist as they are at best proximations and are bad labels. I think Crayola, with this collection, has tried to do a good thing for children, but since all the names of the colors and shades of our skin, are off, maybe we should just stop using those names of colors for each other.

Here is a Christian song, you may have sung when young:

Jesus loves the little children/All the children of the world/Red, brown, yellow/Black and white/They are precious in His sight./Jesus loves the little children/Of the world.

Jesus died for all the children/All the children of the world/Red and yellow/Black and white/They are precious in His sight./Jesus died for all the children/Of the world.

Jesus rose for all the children/All the children of the world/Red and yellow/Black and white/They are precious in His sight./Jesus rose for all the children/Of the world./ (Source: https://sweetslyrics.com/american-songs/jesus-loves-the-little-children-lyrics

Even though this song uses the skin color designations that don’t seem to really work and may work against racial harmony, the very best we can say, in the Lord’s love, “They are all precious in His sight”. And isn’t that a better beginning to talk and pray about our differences?