What are you?

I heard on the radio this morning that it was 48 years ago today (wrote this yesterday) that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his legendary "I have a dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial.  It is crazy to think that 48 years have gone by since he uttered his infamous words.  And as the speech played on the radio, I was struck by one line in particular..."I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but but the content of their character."

And the big question is…has that day come??  And if MLK were alive today, what he would say about the racial status of our country? Would he be satisfied with the way things currently are?  Or would he be disappointed?  

And can we honestly say that we live in a  society that is blind to skin color - a society whose judgement is based on the content of one's character?   I don't think we are there ...yet.

A few Saturdays ago, I was attending a lovely wedding reception in Lake Forest Park.  I was catching up with a dear friend, and this guy approaches us and steps into the conversation.  No big deal - I love meeting new people and he seemed nice. But the first question out of his mouth, which was directed at me, was…"What are you?"  

I hesitated to answer his question simply because I was completely caught off guard. Hmm…what am I?  Not who am I…but WHAT am I?  I knew without a doubt that he wanted to know my ethnicity, but he didn't ask that.  

And I wanted to reply with so many different answers.  

I am a human. 
I am a woman.
I am a Christian.
I am a wife. 
I am a daughter.
I am a sister.
I am a friend.  

But I didn't.  I simply stated, I am a quarter Puerto RIcan.

This is a question that will forever remain branded on my heart and in my mind.  I understand he was simply trying to find common ground, but I suppose it was the question itself that threw me.  

What are you?  ...He didn't ask, What is your ethnicity?  Or what do you do for a living?  He simply, asked, "What are you?" and from that I was left to fill in the blank.  

Little does he know that his three word question has led to countless conversations and much reflection. And I, of course, had to tell Peter about it and forced him to answer the question for himself.

His answers.

I am a human.
I am a Christian.
I am made in the image of God.
I am a brother.
I am Irish.

So now it's your turn to answer the question...What are you?