All of America celebrated a well-known historical figure last week. We all remember Martin Luther King, Jr. and his effort to gain rights for African Americans. An activist, humanitarian and leader, King was the hope the helpless clung onto.
Racism is a constant present in American society. But it’s not all about blacks anymore.
From the start of slavery, African Americans were widely discriminated and denied basic human rights. They weren’t allowed to be educated for fear that they would escape. Animals had more rights and were given more sympathy than slaves were. A slave was just property, a necessary evil.
Years of fighting and a civil war, slaves were finally given freedom. However, that didn’t change anything. The fight was still going on. African American lived in fear to be enslaved once again. Years of segregation, separate but equal laws, the Ku Klux Klan, and Jim Crow laws.
We have come far from our ancestors past. Blacks have more rights and freedom to live. But racism still exists in our society, even more so.
But racism is not all about blacks anymore. There is a need to step back and look at the bigger picture. Hispanics, Muslims, LGBT groups and even women are still being discriminated and treated unjustly.
These groups are living in fear. Someone from the Middle East can’t fly without people questioning if they are a terrorist or being unjustly searched with the notions that they have a bomb strapped onto them.
Blacks aren’t the only ones. There are so many problems and too much hate in this world. Instead of looking out for just yourself, we all need to stand united.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” The fight against racism is long from being over. If you are solely focused on yourself and ignore those in need, then there is something severely wrong.
