It is no secret that the United States is filled with racism. The problem of race does not only come from America but all around the world. Throughout history African Americans and other people of color get little to no credit on the work they do and accomplishments they make. You can go through a history text book in a elementary school, high school and some colleges and see little parts shown of black excellence.
We’ve all heard of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks. But what about those that are put in the back burner that contributed greatly to society. You see no mention of Garrett Morgan who created the traffic light or Lewis Howard Latimer who created the light bulb and telephone. I bet people know of Thomas Edison all day long but most have never heard of the black inventors I’ve just mentioned.
It has gotten harder and harder for black male and women to break through just to get a regular job. Let alone a CEO position in a white driven world. White supremacy has lasted for centuries and has seen no signs of slowing down. We all heard of white privilege. Some mention it as a joke but it is very much real. The only time you will see a black person outshine others would be in sports such as basketball, football and tennis. According to racial equality activist Richard Lapchick, the percentage of blacks that get drafted into the NBA are 74% as of 2015. I’m sure it has risen since then. The first black basketball player was Chuck Cooper of the Boston Celtics on April 25th, 1950.
Since we have a bigot in the White House now, many racist people have come out the woodwork to share their discomfort with being around a human being who is black. The most recent situation being that of Amy Cooper who was racially profiling a man in Central Park. Calling the police and saying “I am being harassed by a black man”. She assumed that the cops would come and arrest him for his skin color but thankfully that wasn’t the case. Too many times we get called out and get beheaded for looking a certain way. That is not to say all white people are bad but we have too many cases to go back to see homicide actions being done. Like that of the police officer, Derek Chauvin, who was charged with 3rd degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd.
Many African American men and women have took on the initiative to better themselves. Most of the time financially. Trying to reverse what they were given from family history as a way to grow and prosper in the future. The problem with that is, we still have to go hard. Basically Super Saiyan to get to our point. There have been many sellouts in our community and we won’t speak of them. To those that still have dignity and push through without doing something strange for some change this is for you. When whites get the job just by having blonde hair and blue eyes we must work from the ground up on hopes of having a better position. More than ever there are black millionaires and even billionaires. We know Jay Z and Kanye West are but the ones that don’t get the media coverage are the ones who deserve true acknowledgement. Working their butt off to get somewhere. To not be ruled by poverty. To not be destroyed by a 9 to 5 job all of their lives.
I strive to be one in that number who achieves something great. Not for my own name but to show my family that it is possible that we can rise above. We must start supporting our people more. This is not to divide all nationalities but to say that we don’t need one specific race to get us somewhere in life. With enough hard work and determination it can be done. It will be done.
To those who are working towards getting to that achievement I salute you.
