The ugly face of racism

My younger sister Kasie and I are extremely close and have been all our lives.  For many years it seemed like I was her only friend.  My family relocated to Naperville, Il when I was going to the 8th grade and my sister was going into the 2nd grade.  Naperville is a predominantly white area and we were one of three African American families in our subdivision.  We were all excited about the move, but anxious about meeting new friends.  The school started off pretty good.  My sister's school had a rule that if a child had a birthday party they had to invite the entire class.  One day my sister came home from school really upset.  A little girl in her class was having a birthday party and she was the only child in the class that did not get invited.  My mother assured her that it must have been a mistake and called the teacher the next day.  After several conversations Kasie still did not get an invitation.  She was invited to one birthday party that year.  The next year she was called a nigger by a classmate.  I became her best friend.  I  felt terrible that my baby sister was having such a hard time making friends and it was something that came easy for me.  After living there for 4 years my parents made the decision to move back to Ga in hopes that it would be easier on Kasie.  It almost seems ironic that we would move back to the South to escape racism.
My sister is 29 years and I am still her best friend and one of her only friends.  Kasie was never the same after we moved from Illinois.  I slowly watched her light fade and it broke my heart.  It makes me sick to my stomach that her childhood years were tarnished with memories that she will never forget.  I pray that one day we will live in a world were every person no matter that color, religious beliefs, sexuality, or anything different is excepted by all.

I have always wondered how the children of Afghanistan are affected by all there country has been through over the years. In my research of this country I learned  that one in seven Afghan children will not live to see their fifth birthday. Enrolment in primary education has vastly improved over the past 10 years, but still only 7 girls for every 10 boys are enrolled in primary education.  One in three children in Afghanistan under the age of five are moderately or severely underweight for their age because their families have not been able to feed them properly. As they get older, many kids are forced to work on the streets just to make sure there is food on the table.  Afghani children experiences the stress of war, but they are also faced with violence, trauma, chaos, abuse, and poverty.  One consequence of facing these stressors is post-traumatic stress disorder.  I hope this country will find  peace soon and that the devasting affects from the war won't leave permeant scars on the precious children.