There are many heated debates going on in the United States right now about a lot of different issues from gay marriage, to the Syrian refugee crisis, and so much more. Every debate is just as important as the next, and they are all looking to spark change in the United States for the better.
Our nation can go nowhere without changing how we do things. One debate that has spread like wildfire, and rightfully so, is the debate about police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the overall theme of both: racism.
Racism is still relevant today and is a serious problem. We can't keep denying that it isn’t a problem that we are having in the U.S. We need to bring awareness to this issue, and the sooner we address this and bring awareness to it, the sooner we can do something about it.
A prime example of racism today is the above picture. A Quinnipiac University student took the above Snapchat of a fellow Quinnipiac student doing “blackface” with the caption “Black Lives Matter.” The photograph went viral after fellow students at the University screenshotted the image and it spread like wild fire. Quinnipiac’s Office of Student Affairs and Public Safety became aware of the photograph and considered the case they filed against the three girls who were involved as a high priority level case.
The University decided that two of the three girls were innocent in simple terms, because they weren’t aware of the caption that was attached to the above Snapchat. The University administration has taken disciplinary action against the student who was considered guilty which consisted of other measures taken against her unjust behavior and being suspended from housing.
I am very proud of the University for standing up for what was right in this situation and fully recognizing that racist comments and harassment of any sort based on race (or any kind of harassment) is not okay and shouldn’t be tolerated. The actions of the girl who was found guilty were completely inexcusable and they needed to be addressed.
Racism is so real and for those who say that it isn’t should take a look at the situation above and all other racial profiling cases that occur on college campuses, work places and even just out on the street. The idea that there is some supreme race to all is completely outdone and so incorrect both morally and scientifically which makes it absolutely absurd.
But this way of thinking is still very much so a thing in our society today with the addition of counter movements, like “All Lives Matter” and “Blue Lives Matter” (which lets be real about it, cops lives do matter but they also chose their career paths knowing the dangers and what they were getting themselves into… it still doesn’t justify senseless police killings of course but “Blue Lives Matter” doesn’t justify pointless police brutality) to the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Another university brought to light the racism on college campuses and how dorm harassment towards those of color is still a problem and is seen even today in 2016. The University of North Dakota (you think it would’ve happened somewhere down South but nope, the more northern part of the U.S. can be just as bad with their racial tendencies) is investigating the alleged locking out of a black student from her own dorm room with a social media post, also via Snapchat.
The Snapchat picture was shared on Facebook by a UND student, Etonde Maloke—a friend of the victim to the harassment, and explained that her friend had left her phone in her room where the three girls pictured above took the above photograph with the black students phone and put it on her Snapchat story. The girl was unaware of this fact until a friend had pointed it out.
Maloke told RAWSTORY “we all know racism is alive and well (whether you like to admit it or not)” and continued to say, “When said acts of racism happen at your school, it is infuriating and heartbreaking”. The University is still continuing their ongoing investigation and released a statement saying the viewpoints that were depicted by one of their students in the picture are not the viewpoints of the schools and they were going to take the situation very seriously.
I applaud the schools and those who stood up for both of these students, because that is exactly what the world needs. The world needs people to stand up for those who are afraid to stand up for themselves because of what others might say or because every time they do, they are belittled or shot down.
We have to stop denying that racism isn’t around anymore. Yes, racism today isn’t the racism that our ancestors or even those older generations saw before us. It isn’t the KKK (who is still at large despite being an actual terrorist group when considered with what the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations considers terrorism: "the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives") and outwardly racist comments.
But don’t get me wrong, both those things still occur and are still very much so a problem when it comes to racism today. But the racism I am talking about is what CNN and some psychologists have dubbed “Racism without Racists”. It is the idea of living in a “race free” bubble, which doesn’t exist, as well as living in a biased worldview. Today’s form of racism is the “all lives matter” counter campaign, because what they are saying is not that all lives actually matter but that white lives in a way matter the most. The picture below described it perfectly.
The world and the people that inhabit it need to stop shying away from things that make them uncomfortable. Nothing will change and nothing will get better if that continues to happen. And change does need to happen.
Something has got to give; the idea that there is one race better than every other race because their skin color is lighter is ridiculous. Everyone is equal and everyone should be considered equal. It would not only make our world a much better place, but it is what everyone deserves—a chance to feel loved and deserved by those around them instead of hated and judged, because they are slightly different from the majority.
It can be done and while yes, it might take a couple of years to really see some great change but it is something that would be so pivotal for the future. That change has already begun, and I am so happy to see it, but I would love to see that change happen even more.
It would give me some better hope for the future, because right now I am scared that even doing the right thing will get me killed, and that is something that no one should have to be scared of. No one should have to fear for their lives, because they are black, Hispanic, white or anything for that matter.
We need to change and change starts now.
