Seperate recognition for minority?

I am writing this letter today, not to incite anymore futile attempts at lip service on race relations, but to maybe enlighten some people on why people of color and gay and lesbian groups have certain days or months specifically set aside to recognize their efforts and contributions to our society. I am speaking in general and not to any specific person. But, if the shoe fits without a shoehorn, then wear it.

On a very basic level, I want to say that the discussion of "why do they get to do this and that, and we don't get to say" (white, or heterosexual day) is childish at best. Let's just pick on the subject of certain popular magazines. Narrow mindedness is the reason that you don't see our beautiful faces routinely on the cover of Vogue and Seventeen. It is definitely not because we lack the beauty or the self-esteem. That is why Ebony and Jet are necessary. I think conversations such as to why certain ethnic groups are the recipients of different actions may be cute among friends in the university cafeteria and in the back of the class when the professor is late, but seriously it is not funny, when supposedly mature people can't open their minds to see that the basic needs of others have been negated through absolutely no fault of their own.

I am a black woman who has traveled the world on numerous occasions. I have always been approached by people bearing varying degrees of lighter hues than me, and they all want to know the same kind of questions: "Why do black people have different pageants, months, celebrations and award shows set aside from the mainstream?" These people want to know why "Ebony," "Essence," "Jet" and "The Chicago Defender" exist. Cynically, I find myself laughing, because just like the people on Fifth Avenue in New York say, if you have to ask then you can't (comprehend) afford it. But, I try to get them to see that the mere fact of why they are posing the question of why our heritage demands for separate recognition needs to be addressed in circles larger than our own.

As a people we don't choose to be ostracized and looked over but it happens continuously through no fault of our own. We just pick up and move on with life as we always have. We don't cry about it (as we have been stereotyped as having a propensity toward), we create our own vehicles for change.

To the people who still keep asking why do minorities and people who have been denied every inalienable right under the sun, I offer no apologies when I say to you that maybe you should look inward before you speak out about aspects of life that you have no point of reference about. Please, ask questions and listen for a change. You may discover that minorities enjoy teaching people about their culture if they know that you are genuinely interested in learning about their culture and breaking down the stereotypes. And sometimes, just as with any other facet of life, you may not receive an answer to your inquisitive mind because people get tired of being treated as some sort of untouchable entity. Because they know the truth, as shocking as it may seem, that 28 days out of a year, a week in the middle of June, brown images painted on postage stamps, a celebration around Christmas and a day in January which is dedicated to one of the most powerful men born and bred in America does not account for all of the accomplishments that so called "minorities" have contributed to this great country of ours.