There is no denying the fact that there is an epidemic of racial injustice plaguing our country. If you continue to deny this, or just choose to live in oblivion, then you are contributing to the very roots of this problem.
History repeats itself, just as movies are often remade, trends are repeatedly brought back, and old songs are sampled and covered. This repetition is done to emulate things that were once great, in hopes of modernizing them to make them great again. Sometimes though, we learn a valuable lesson - that said piece of history was meant to stay in the past, where it belongs.
If we are supposed to learn from the bad and grow from it, why is it 2016 and people are dying? Why is modern day segregation flooding social media. Why are people being killed because of the color of their skin? Why is an ex KKK leader running for Senate? Why is KKK even part of the conversation? How is raw video footage not enough to prosecute for heinous crimes and unjustifiable murder? Why are communities suffering from environmental injustice (third world problems)?
Our world today, is no different than it was 50 plus years ago. Just as technology has evolved, racial injustice has also evolved to look less obvious - cover it up so to speak. Now though, we are living in a brutal reality, where every other story on our news feeds has to do with someone murdered by those who are sworn to protect us. All of this tragedy has caused a serious divide amongst one another, with people more concerned about pointing fingers and being more worried about not having the spotlight than those who actually lost their lives.
Another thing that really gets me is the accusations I've read about how the Black Lives Matter movement is racist. Seriously? This is the equivalent of calling Dr. King a racist because he was fighting for the equality of black people. But Abraham Lincoln, right? Wrong! Get your facts straight, he was racist, too. There would need to be no movement if racism didn't actually exist - if all lives really did matter. But, all lives do not matter, and this is the root of our problem.
This negative mindset has carried with generations through the decades. It doesn't take a genius to see that society, as a whole, treats black people no more than a subhuman species. You may think you aren't racist, but dig really deep, I dare you. Do you believe in human equality for real? Or if it does not affect you directly do you not care? If you think it doesn't affect you, think again. This negative mindset is toxic, and our country will suffer the repercussions for everything that is currently going in, as history has shown us in the past. Whatever comes our way, it will be a hard hit sure to make history, starting with the outcome of this election.
An innocent black man who is laying on the ground with his hands up and gets shot for no reason is racism. A black teenager getting shot for wearing a hoodie is racism. A black man getting choked to death while being detained is racism. A black man getting shot while complying and reaching for his wallet is racism. A black man getting shot while selling CD's is racism. Without making the assumption that those officers who committed these crimes are racists, the general public has shown enough of their own racism in nasty commentary and posts. The problem is not necessarily the police, it is American people.
America is a desirable place to live, until you begin to peel away the layers. Stop being gullible and realize we are being pinned against one another for a reason. The outcome of so much hate never ended well in the past, and will only go in that same direction once again. We need to fight for each other, not against one another.
