Who's Gonna Save the World....

I used to be a revolutionary.

But, somehow, between high school and now, I lost my fire. I didn't even notice it beginning to dwindle my freshman year of college, but as I got deeper and deeper into my education, became more, and more of an adult, my flame diminished little by little. Luckily, I caught it before it extinguished fully. Seems as if I caught it just in time.

Now, racism is a part of American culture that I fear might not ever go away. With the wins of the civil rights movement, and the implementation of affirmative action I believe our country has made mega-strides in a positive direction. And although, Jim Crow has been dormant for about 50 years, in the words of the Rev. Al Sharpton, "his son James Crow Esq." is rapidly picking up speed. The events, prosecution, and opinions of the Jena 6 assure me that racism is still alive and well.

In a perfect world, we would all be equal. And, Lord willing, when I get to meet my maker, he will treat me the same as he would any other soul. But, guess what??? I don't live in a perfect world. As a matter of fact, the world we live in is far from perfect. And like, my Dad always says, "Life isn't fair." Maybe because of my upbringing its hard for me to understand, why some folks just don't get it. So in efforts, to brighten my once diminished flame, I want to clear some things up.

1. Black folks just can't "get over" slavery. Slavery happened, and it happened for a long time. The pyschological, and financial, and emotional effects of enslaving a particular group of people for so long do not just cease once you free them, give them the "right" to vote (but not enforce this right entirely) , and put in place affirmative action laws. I've heard ridiculous responses; for example, Adrienne Curry from ANTM says that as rape survivor she had to get over it, and basically empower herself. It is ridiculous for her to believe that all rape survivors could react in the same positive way she did. If we are going to celebrate our individuality and uniqueness, then we have to understand that all of us are different, and what works for some might not work for others. Sure there are many blacks, that against all odds, and by odds I mean lack of income, lack of role-models, lack of a proper and decent education, etc, etc. end out on top. But, everyone can't succeed with so many shortcomings from the start.
   

Getting tired, long day at work...will finish the list tommorow.