"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 by the content of their character."
Martin Luther King said that in 1963 and I'm very sad to say that his dream has not yet come true. Since the very beginning of America, blacks have been oppressed. I am not saying this to say that it is my fault because it isn't. I am saying this because we must realize what is going on. Yes, America has come a long way in terms of racism, but that doesn't mean there isn't any left. Every day blacks are killed by white cops. Before someone who is white says "whites are killed by black cops," let me stop you there. Yes, that is true. All lives do matter, but we can't dismiss that black lives matter just because we don't want to deal with the results of that recognition.
America as a whole has to stand up and say no more and put forth the effort. I am all for police, but it is also true that not all of them do their job correctly. Our government is so crooked and the justice system consistently treats African Americans differently. For that reason, a president can't fix this - not Obama, not Trump, and not Hillary. It can't just be blacks standing up. Every race has to stand up for them because sadly it isn't enough otherwise, although it should be.
Why can't we see that it isn't fair? Why are some people in America so blind? Why am I suddenly feeling all of these feelings now? I actually have an answer for you: as whites, we have been geared and told to feel otherwise. We have been told that it's enough, but when is enough actually enough? Is it enough when an innocent black man is shot every day? No, that isn't enough and that will never be enough.
With all that said, we must keep in mind that it is absolutely possible to achieve this goal without violence. Martin Luther King was the leader of the Civil Rights Movement and he never once encouraged violence. In fact, he discouraged it.
"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
With all that said, these riots are hurting innocent people. People who don't have a racist bone in their body. While it it is true that there are people who are racist, America cannot live on with this issue distinctly dividing people.
It's time to end this. Together.