Skin
It is the largest organ of the body.
It is a defense barrier against bacteria and germs, and it regulates body temperature.
One of the main functions of the skin is protection.
Skin holds everything together.
We cannot survive without skin.
My skin is a tapestry of stories. Beautiful brown skin that holds me together. It displays my scars from childhood injuries, discoloration from eczema and vitiligo, surgical scars, stretch marks, age spots, laugh lines, frown lines and worry lines.
My skin announces to some my worth, intellect, ability, beauty, and socioeconomic status. As a child, my skin determined whether I ate lunch alone, stood alone watching other kids on the playground, or sat alone on the school bus. To some my skin is too dark, to others it is too light. My skin causes doors to be blocked, purses to be clutched, hearts and minds to be closed, and a variety of false assumptions to be made. My beautiful brown skin also provides countless opportunities to dispel myths and enlighten the ignorant.
I didn't always love my skin. In my youth, I hid the angry red eczema that crawled up and down my arms and legs, circled my neck and crept up on my face, wearing long sleeves and pants in the summer heat. I avoided mirrors which served as a reminder of what everyone saw when they looked at me. Overtime I grew into my scarred brown skin. I developed love and pride for the rich ancestral heritage and culture it represents. My skin tells a story of healing, of overcoming pain and adversity, and it provides interesting content for storytelling. My stretch marks are evidence of my skins ability to enfold three babies for nine months each. My surgical scars, evidence of God’s promise of healing. My skin is resilient. I love the beautiful brown skin I was born in and the stories it dares to tell.
My skin has performed exactly the way God created it to. Protection is one of the main functions of skin. Through injury and illness it has protected me and held me together, but my beautiful brown skin has never protected me from racial bias, bigotry and hate. I look forward to the day when people all over the world simply see skin for what it is and what it does. Skin is the largest organ of the body, it regulates temperature, provides a barrier against bacteria and germs, it protects us and holds everything together.
We cannot survive without skin.
Respect skin for its God given purpose to protect our bodies.
Respect skin for its God given variety of colors, and again, for its God given purpose to protect our brown bodies.
Grace and Peace,
Teretha Williams