We believe labels should be used for food items at the grocery store and not on people. If you think about it, labels are put on us starting at birth. Is it a boy or a girl? Institutions, corporations, and people love labels. Is he smart? Is she always late? Is he cheap? Once a person has a label put on them, it is almost impossible to get that label off. The effect of using labels on people is categorizing them and in most cases defining them for life. Another effect of using labels on people is stereotyping them. Putting them in an entire group of people whether they belong or not.

Many people limit themselves and their potential for success by labeling and judging others unfairly. We call this prejudice. I was taught by my bible, a book filled with wisdom, that only a fool despises others based on the color of their skin. My mom saw the value in staying in contact with people of high value, principles and accomplishments, regardless of their ethnicity. When I was young, out landlords were Jewish. I assumed Jewish people were just light-skinned black people. I really did not know the difference between my Jewish landlords and other black people in the neighborhood. My young mind could not relate to why any other race of people would live in my world. My mom always stayed in contact with my old landlords. As the years passed, she would go to the farmer’s market with them, meet up at Deli’s, and have tea or coffee together.