What does the & mean as it relates to race?

It means we are tired. Tired of being divided. Tired of being manipulated into fearing, blaming, resenting, and attacking one another over skin color. Tired of watching race become a weapon used to separate human beings instead of connect them.

The Skin Tone & is a reminder that we did not choose the color we came into this world with. Not one of us sat in a meeting before birth and selected our paint color. We were simply born human.

And somewhere along the way, humanity got buried underneath labels, assumptions, stereotypes, politics, anger, and division.

Enough.

The gradient of the symbol matters because every shade belongs. Every shade matters. Every shade is part of the same human story.

We are not meant to fear one another. We are meant to learn from one another. Celebrate one another. Support one another. Connect with one another.

The & symbol is my way of saying I am not interested in participating in racial division from any side.

I refuse to hate someone because of the amount of melanin in their skin.
I refuse to shame people for existing in the skin they were born in.
I refuse to keep feeding a system that profits from keeping humans separated and suspicious of one another.

The goal is not sameness.

The goal is humanity.

Because before anything else…before race, background, culture, politics, or beliefs…

we are human first.