Our parents were once told that they would never be able to produce children together. They went to numerous clinics and saw many more doctors in efforts to become parents. And it was to their surprise and joy that after attempting one more time to have kids before adopting that they learned that our mom was pregnant with twins...pregnant with us! We would be named Faith and Grace because our parents said that's what it took for their journey to parenthood to begin. The bigger and unseen surprise would come shortly after our birth. See our parents were an interracial couple. That had shattered the perceived stigma that surrounded their union. They had fallen in love and no one would convince them it was wrong simply because their skin tones were different. It was that love and dedication to each other that would set the stage of our lives. When we were presented to our parents our similarities were undeniable. But it was our differences that would attract the most attention later from the world. After about three months the texture of our hair would undergo a radical transformation. Our matching eye and skin color would also change. We would essentially become identical brown and beige versions of each other.
By the time of our first birthday I, Grace would have a brown skin hue with dark brown eyes with black hair and I, Faith would have a beige skin tone with green eyes and sandy-brown hair. As we further grew we began to question why we shared the same face but with different accents. Our father told us that as much as we looked different we were both equally beautiful and smart girls. He told us that he and our mother would never love us differently. As we entered school it was the other children and adults that would treat us differently. They would constantly discuss the features that they felt separated us. For example I, Grace would always be told I was pretty to be dark and was thought to be more outspoken and board line aggressive. And I, Faith would always be told I was gorgeous but would be treated as if I less intelligent and stuck-up. The more we experienced in life together we realized that folks would always try to put us into perceived stereotype boxes based on our skin colors. They would actual try to play us against each other. Make us believe that one sister was better or worse than the other simply because of her complexion. But thankful we heeded the words of our mother who always told us that we are sisters and sisters protect and support each other regardless of what the world subjects us too.
Now as older young women it's a teaching moment when we see how people treat us differently as individuals then how it changes when they are told of our relation. We understand that some people have ignorant mindsets that are only based on the skin colors of those around them. We used to cry when teased and harassed by people with them. But know we pity them and carry on with our lives. We deeply love each other dearly. It has and will always break our hearts that even though we are born from the same great parents and raised in the same house we are not treated the same. Even though we share the same personality traits and quirks we are not offered the same compliments or opportunities. Sadly despite the fact that we share the same face we have had to endure vastly different experiences in life. We are labeled the black and white twins. The world sees us as racial miracles but we see each other as sisters. We will always be here to support and celebrate each other regardless of how the people of the world treat us, regardless of our stereotypical brown prejudices and beige privileges.
Be GREAT TODAY, because you may not be given the time to be tomorrow.
TWIL
