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Shall we overcome?
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Just the other day I opened the USA Today, only to read about the death of a young, black woman. A death was brought upon by three white officers and one Hispanic officer. Later, I learned that the FBI is inquiring into this case for racial matters. This only leads me to think that it is 1999 and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream has not been born yet. I constantly ask myself what is the world waiting for? When I was young, I thought King's dream was already in effect. For in memory of his birthday, the schools I attended would always have an enormous program. A program that the students would diligently work on throughout the week. These celebrations would consist of art projects, music, outside dedications and lots of love. I believe I was six when I first understood Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech. I remember thinking to myself, "characterized by the color of my skin." I suppose that is when I learned about racism. I lived in an African-American community with my African-American family while growing up, leading me to believe there were no racial matters that the world had not solved. The only time I heard racial slurs was when my grandfather opened his mouth, but at that age I was too young to understand what he was saying. But, as I got older I began to understand what my grandfather was saying and the ways of the world better. The death of Dr. King and the celebration of his birthday are very important regardless of what Arizona thought in the mid-80's. His death was an eye-opener of how one-sided America is and the celebration of his birthday is an annual reminder. Dr. King is a hero. He led a movement hoping that one day all stereotypes would be erased, hoping that race would no longer be an important factor and hoping that we could all mingle and intertwine with one another. Popular belief in America is that we have overcome, but the reality is we have a long way to go before we all except the many colors of the world. As technology moves rapidly into the future, the human race is working on the fundamentals of how to treat each other equally. Makes a person wonder, is it really that hard? Is it too hard to hold my hand that is a couple of shades darker than yours? Is it too hard to understand that I can do your job better than you can and should have a higher position? Is it too hard to believe that not all black women have kids and are welfare queens? We should all just take a minute and think about what the Civil Rights Movement was all about and that is one reason Dr. King's birthday is very important. His birthday is a reminder of the struggle and we should acknowledge it. King died believing that every man, woman, boy, and girl should be treated equally. He died believing that the separation of races would come to an end. It is a true that we no longer have signs on restrooms that read "Coloreds & Whites," for now the division is invisible. But it does exist. For if the separation of races no longer existed, society would accept an interracial couple. Society wouldn't think that affirmative action is a handout. But unfortunately society does react this way and until society begins to accept we cannot stand together and sing "we have overcome."
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