I went to the grocery store the other day. Happened to notice all of the Uncle Ben’s rice boxes were gone. Most shelves were empty.
Please don’t fret if you are a big fan of the rice. It will be back! Same taste. Just a bit of rebranding. The company made the announcement that it is removing the image of “Uncle Ben” who is the Black man on the box.
Here is the company’s statement.
“Racism has no place in society. We stand in solidarity with the Black community, our Associates and our partners in the fight for social justice,” Mars said. “We know to make the systemic change needed, it’s going to take a collective effort from all of us — individuals, communities and organizations of all sizes around the world.”
If this really bothers someone or if it matters to them personally-like interfering with a cherished memory of parboiled rice on the kitchen table-I’d ask them just one thing.
“Why?”
As I was strolling down the aisle that day I did happen to notice something else. The shelves weren’t totally empty. Up on the top there were still a few boxes. No, not Uncle Ben’s. Those are totally gone. These were called,”Seeds of Change.”
We all have a choice.
Keep things the same. Or be the seeds of change.
Just Being Mary 
It never ceases to amaze me the things that bother people. Our culture is ingrained with “things” we have no idea from where they originated. It’s a box of rice, pancakes or whatever. However, the pictures depict something so much more insidious. We need to learn how to put ourselves in another person’s shoes and truly feel it. This is called empathy, something this world is sorely lacking. Thank you for what you do for humanity.
Thank you, Donna. I keep trying to grow and friends like you keep me on the right path.