Martin Luther King Jr. urged for the day when “little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls”, and while that day has indeed arrived, racism still exists in less obvious ways.
In most parts of the U.S. race isn’t an issue, but in older and more traditionally rooted places (Arkansas or Alabama), it is still prevalent. Just take a look at the controversy surrounding sorority row at the University of Alabama.
The most obvious examples come from two extremely controversial, recent court cases: the Michael Brown shooting, and the Trayvon Martin case. Michael Brown, and Trayvon Martin were two young boys who still had their entire lives ahead of them, and many people seem to forget this. Other African Americans believe these two boys are martyrs for racism everywhere, and while this may or may not be true, it shows how prevalent race is in society today.
People choose to believe that Brown was shot in the back with his hands up, or that he had an extensive criminal record, when evidence clearly says otherwise. The riots these cases caused weren’t in memory of the victims. The mass anger of those crowds was strictly over race, and these people stormed the streets because a white officer had shot a black boy, and they wanted revenge. Many believe what they want about each case, and ignore facts brought to light under federal investigation. The undercurrent of angry violence associated with both of the cases is due to race, and it’s important for people around the U.S. to realize that skin color is still an issue, no matter how far MLK has brought us from the times of segregation.
And while many grandparents over 70 cringe at the thought of their blonde granddaughter marrying a black man, a large chunk of the youth today doesn’t seem to care or notice skin color. It has a lot to do with the older generation, who has a hard time letting go of the way they were raised. O.J. Simpson’s acquittal will forever couple with rumors that he got off because he’s black (or it could be the fact that he has Heisman), and our society has come to expect these kinds of racist accusations. Black people do not have it easier, and despite what many people believe, racism is still alive today in 2014; it’s just hiding out.
Via Photo Spin
