I went to see my mom today. She was my best friend for many years, after I turned eighteen, before she got sick. Now, it is hard to go see her, but I do, every week. Several years ago, she was diagnosed with cancer. It took the docs forever to diagnose her, and by the time they did, it has spread to her lymph nodes, and more scary yet, her brain. They had to do surgery on her brain, then extensive chemo and radiation. During all of this, she remained upbeat and positive, sure she would beat ca...

I was raised by two very different parents. After the divorce, my mom tried her hardest to counter my dad's prejudice views. She exposed me to as many different races as she could, so that I would know and understand that we are all the same. On the other hand, every other weekend and many holidays, my dad was teaching me to dislike other races. I knew, as I was growing up, that my mom had the right idea, and that we were all the same. And, as I was growing up, and into adult hood, I could sti...