Racism is Alive and Well

Growing up in the South, I was exposed to blatant racism. Moving up north (Philadelphia), I was exposed to subtle racism, but racism just the same. Living in the DMV for the past 50 years, I have lived through both -- blatant and subtle racism on a daily basis.

I appreciated the hiatus of "politically correct" while knowing that racism had not gone away, but gone underground. Reading this article confirmed what I have always known, i.e., "Those who perpetrated the racism when I was growing up did not stop being racists, they just didn't do it in the open, and they did not all die.

Now, the pendulum has shifted and once again, racism is resurfacing with a vengeance. It is alright for the name-calling, the bullying, the separate but equal doctrine, and the erosion of civil liberties for all. It is condoned at the highest levels of government.

Those who know better no longer speak out en masse for fear of being called racists. I am writing this on "my Facebook Page" knowing that there will be an outcry on both sides of this issue, but I feel the need to say it and in America, I am told that I have the right to do so. My elementary teachers many years ago told me that my rights were my rights so long as they did not trample the rights of others. They noted in their discussions that rules including the Constitution of the United States were put in place to protect the rights of every American, and that being Colored (the term used for Blacks back then) did not negate my rights, but that I had to work harder to obtain them.

For centuries Blacks were called various derogatory names in public, behind closed doors, and anywhere else that the majority population determined was okay. It was so common that even to this day Blacks also call themselves in many areas of society by those same terms. It was and continue to be embedded in our culture. Even the Webster Dictionary defines nigger as a contemptuous term for a black or dark-skinned person.

My Mother told me that the word meant a person of ill repute, bad behavior and acted in a niggerish manner. She further stated that bad behavior was not limited to Black people, but also applied to White people, Asians, Indians, Hispanics, and everyone else. My Mother also stated emphatically that people had made choices to behave in a Godly manner as opposed to acting in a manner that labeled them in a bad light. Your moral character dictates who you are and your spiritual character guide you.

Therefore to end this terrible blight on America, each one of us must choose to change our thoughts, fears, and thinking about all people -- Africans, Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Whites, Others, etc. We must invoke our moral character in our relationships with one another, and we must rely on our spiritual character to dictate our treatment and acceptance of each other.

It should never be okay to kill, steal, mistreat or in any way injure another human being. We breathe the same. We eat the same,. We bleed the same. We relieve ourselves the same, and yes, we die the same. What makes us different? Our societal values and labels.