January - February 2016.
In a world that thrives on the notion of difference between individuals, the idea that we are all black and white is the most radical of all. While we are all colored differently in our characters and the very assets of our beings, we are depicted in more subtlety in the black and white, the contrasts, the richness, and the absences within our souls. We are not all that different. Whether living with a disability or considered to be "typical" by a societal norm, we are all considered to have pluses and minuses in our essences. Each individual on this planet contains shades of differentiation, but they do not separate us. Rather, the broad spectrum of contrasts and lights and darks of our selves reminds us of one thing: that no matter what we appear to be, we are all human, we are all the same, we are all coexistent. Perhaps with this in mind, we may someday understand that it is with all of the variations of black and white that shades can combine to become the full, rich, absorption of a black that is warm like the way a dark piece of clothing collects all of the sun's light. Perhaps all of the light in this world is not a simple absence, but the collection of white light from all of the different glows of humanity. In this realm we no longer have to fear being black and white. We no longer have to fear the ways that we may be the same.
Special thanks to Duquesne University's chapter of Best Buddies and each of the members of that organization for their willingness to participate and share their talents and stories throughout the progression of this project.
