Racism still corrupts our nation to this day. It was over 140 years ago when the Civil War ended slavery and we thought that our nation was going to be somewhat moral and balanced with the acceptance of a different race.
What comes as a slap in the face is the realization that we were wrong.
Now, I don’t know if I was just na’ve for a large percent of my life or if being older has made me more aware, but recently I have witnessed an inflation of racism and discrimination all around me.
All my life I have been raised to treat others the same way I would like to be treated. I am sure that many of you have had the same lesson taught as well. I was also told to not be prejudice and not to stereotype others. I guess what I am trying to say is that I applaud the school system for teaching me well and blocking out the harshness of the real world. So, when I hear people being blatantly racist, it’s offensive. Maybe it’s a different world than I was used to, maybe I’m just beginning to open my eyes and ears.
The other day I was assigned to do a story on discrimination. It was an article about a homosexual Filipino male who was a victim of discrimination by the Department of Motor Vehicles. He was declined when he tried to get his license renewed. I was more than happy to help this man get his story out to the public. To think, in this day and age, Americans are still so close-minded about a person’s race and sexual orientation.
When I see this going on in the world, it makes me sick. It’s a scary thing. I have even had people try to convince me to change my mind and be prejudice just like them. Well, sorry, but I just can’t do that.
One of the things that bothers me the most is when I hear people say the n-word freely as a common word. It’s more than a shock to me because that seems to be such a primitive word and should be banded from the vocabulary of everyone. Recently, I have read the works of William Faulkner. Obviously, Faulkner’s works are older and that’s why this word is used constantly throughout them. It’s completely understandable because those back in the day thought their slaves were just possessions. We know today that this is not the case and those possessions are free people. So why is this word still used?
Even celebrities are revealing their dark side to the public. With the situations of Mel Gibson, Michael Richards and Isaiah Washington all within the past few months, I feel stunned. These people are figures that many look up to. The claims that they aren’t really racist are completely false. To say those hurtful words and then retract and say they didn’t mean it is absurd.
February is black history month. I hope that if anything, it helps people to recognize the injustice that prevails among America, whether it is black or any other race. We are all humans and need to show each other respect.
