“In Praise of our shared Humanity”

Here’s a truth about our shared humanity:

1. Whether you are African, European, Asian, Latin American, North American, or Caribbean, our deepest ancestral origins trace back to Africa. At the most fundamental level, humanity shares a common ancestral root.
2. Although race is a social construct rather than a biological reality, whether your skin is light, dark, or somewhere in between, we all belong to one human family. There is only one race: the human race.
3. Though I am not African by birth, I would never be offended if someone called me “African.” There is nothing shameful, demeaning, or embarrassing about being identified with Africa. To affirm Africa is to affirm our common humanity, for Africa is part of the shared story of us all.
4. Every human being bears the image of God and possesses equal intrinsic worth and dignity. Our ontological equality does not depend on race, ethnicity, nationality, or skin pigmentation, but on our shared humanity and the divine image we all bear.