Black People Don’t Want More — They Want Equal
The murder of a man in America has sparked protests nationwide that have taken place for the past three months. George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin, a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020.
The incident was recorded and posted online for the world to see. The video proves that after hundreds of years, people are still fighting for what everyone deserves, the opportunity to be treated equally.
Something So Basic
Each and every day we have a basic instinct to interact with those around us. Whether it’s an interaction such as a “good morning” to a loved one or a “hello” to a passerby, every interaction should be met with the same charisma, generosity, and politeness regardless of race, gender, creed, or religion.
So why is it that makes people cross the street to avoid an interaction with a person of color? What makes them clutch their belongings when a person of color stands behind them in line? These are things that people often don’t even realize they do. If it wasn’t for their friends or other people bringing their prejudices to their attention, these minor acts would continue to grow larger and larger.
It’s Taught
From the time we are children, we are taught to treat everyone with respect, kindness, generosity, and to be a nice human being. However, generation after generation continue to preach but not practice this rhetoric. Children do not see color. Children do not see stereotypes. Children do not have hatred. All of that is taught.
Take the example of two friends in Miami, Florida. Each boy got the same haircut to try to trick their teacher so she couldn’t tell them apart. The main difference is that one is white and the other is black. These two boys see each other the same way they see themselves, as human beings who aren’t separated by color.
One of the boys was adopted and was taught to treat everyone with respect and kindness regardless of their differences. Something a lot of people should take notes on in today’s society.
Where We Stand
Over the past three and a half years, America has been broken, beaten, and divided like never before. Regardless of which side of the aisle you stand on, there is one thing that should be agreed upon- racism is worse than ever before.
Although America was not founded on slavery, it played a large role in the shaping of it. For nearly three hundred years, black people in America could not vote, and when they did, they were intimidated when going to polling locations. Something every American citizen has the right to do, they were not afforded the same privileges.
We always say think about how you would want to be treated. Well, black people in America have wanted to be treated equally for hundreds of years and it still isn’t close. They aren’t asking for more, they’re asking for what’s right- equality!
