Starbucks is in hot water for the unfortunate incident that took place in Philadelphia. As one can imagine, many were outraged by the incident. As a black man, my reaction was different than others. I laughed when I heard the news and laughed even harder when I read the story. Some might ask, "what's funny about what happened?" Well, here's my two cents on the matter.

My laughter didn’t represent something that I felt was funny. My laughter represented the ache in my heart towards the matter as well as memories that I pray that I can move on from. I've been racially stereotyped in my 24 years on this earth. My mother tells me stories about how she was stereotyped throughout her life. My friends have been stereotyped in their lives. It's hard to talk about because, at the moment when I was stereotyped, I had more questions than answers and more fear than peace. So when I read about the Starbucks incident, it didn’t surprise me.

I don't think people understand that this happens every day. People are racially stereotyped and to go even deeper, unfairly stereotyped in general. This situation showed that it's not just a police problem. I say this because I don’t feel that this situation was the cops fault. This is a cultural issue that no racial training or seminar will fix.

Everyone does not fit the stereotype that they've been given by society. Don't get me wrong, some people live up to the stereotype which they are assigned. But in this case and in other cases, people aren't what we've trained our mind to make them.

Think about it, in our society, our minds are trained that if you don’t agree with the other person, then you are the problem, which leads to stereotypes. A perfect example of this is when Tomi Lahren compared the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan, a group who terrorized African Americans and the south in general. If you go on social media, it's clear that she's representing a group of people who feel the same way. Or how about college athletes who transfer schools? So-called "fans" label them losers and quitters when they're trying to go on the best path for them.

I can go on and on with examples of how stereotypes have shaped our society and how this is an issue. But how do we solve this problem and more importantly, can it be solved? The answer to that is yes.

Love your neighbor as yourself is one of the Ten Commandments in the Bible and is still relevant to this day. Love is truth and understanding, even when you disagree with the person. Love is empathy and compassion. Love allows people to see things and people differently. Love allows you to break down the walls that are put in place to divide us as a people. For me personally, as a black man, I use the lessons that my mother taught me from day one when it comes to others.

My mom taught me early on that God is color-blind and we should be the same. When people stereotype you for no reason, love them anyway. Love the literal hell out of someone. We as a people have to put the same effort into practicing love and empathy and compassion as we do about regulating gun control, or being against abortion, or whatever you stand for or firmly believe in. If the outrage towards what happened at Starbucks is real, then it will lead to change. If not, then eventually this will be swept under the rug and serve as a distant memory.

Here's the bottom line. My view on how to fix this problem is a testament to what has been effective for me. When I was told to my face that there's a difference between a black person and someone who is the "N" word, or when I hear about people closest to me being pulled over and being told that black people aren't supposed to be in this neighborhood, I cringe, I laugh and I mourn. But love allows me to view the glass half full instead of half empty.

Starbucks can have all the racial sensitivity courses that they want, and kudos to them for that. But if we don't come together with a common goal to end stereotypes and prejudices that stunts our growth as humans, then I have a hunch that it's only a matter of time before this happens again.