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An informative speech on racism
According to Barack Obama, “There is not a conservative America and a Liberal America; instead, there is the United States of America. There is not a Latino American, a black American, or a white American- but there is the United States of AmericaCITATION Rup08 p 13 l 1033 (Cornwell 13).” Over the past years, racial turmoil has contributed to a countless number of social unrests from the colonial era to the postmodern era of USA’s history. As an African American man who grew up in America, I have in many instances felt the pinch of discrimination. I was brought up in a surrounding filled with white people, and they always tried to remind me that I was different. For this reason, I have become an advocate of racial equality.
Structural racism and institutional repression have been used as the critical social control mechanisms, which have ensured that the white Americans have complete control over the black Americans and the other races deemed inferior to the whites. From the mid-seventeenth century to the 1960s, most of the European Americans particularly the Anglo-Saxon Protestants enjoyed special privileges in land acquisition, some aspects of citizenship, education, immigration, as well as criminal procedures. However, individuals who were Asian Americans, African Americans, Latino Americans, Hispanic Americans, as well as the Native Americans, were often subjected to racism by the whites. After many years, racism is still a severe problem amongst the society and therefore it is time for all of us to reckon this vice.
One of the greatest fighters of racism in America, Martin Luther King, always believed that all individuals were created equal. Additionally, he thought that all human beings deserved equal rights to liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness. In his August 28th, 1963 speech, while addressing a crowd in Washington DC, he said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their characterCITATION Eli05 p 122 l 1033 (Sirimarco 122).” Today, his name adorns streets schools, colossal biographies, and bridges. Most of the children have been taught to revere Martin Luther King as soon as they can speak. He created hope in every individual including the oppressed that they would at one time attain their freedom and become free from their oppressors.
Even though I have had bad days, I still believe that the ray of hope is still shining brightly. I have always been a big lover of basketball, and I used to play basketball while in high school. In my senior year, I made it to the school team. The school basketball committee had made a rule, which required that every player’s hair did not touch their neck or ear; however, I had dreadlocks, and they would touch my shoulders. During one of the preseason practice sessions, the school coach summoned me and reminded me that I had to cut my hair for the first game. I never saw the need of cutting my hair but promised that I would put in a ponytail for the rest of the season. Days later, he introduced a new rule, which barred any player from having headbands or hair ties. Therefore, for my love of basketball, I had to cut my hair short. Even though I did that back, then I still feel the pinch. I was 100 percent sure that if it were a white kid, he would not have introduced such a rule. However, the society has made it clear that we have to suffer for being born black or other races other than white.
The most significant factor that stands between us achieving racial-biased free society roots from individuals treating this whole issue as a headache, one that you can heal by just swallowing an aspirin. Racism ought to be treated as brain cancer, and by taking aspirin, you definitely will not be cured. For a long time now, the country has been taking aspirin in place of chemotherapy for the racial problems. Everyone has to take a different look on where the country is, where they would want it to be, and where it is headed; only then can we get a final solutionCITATION Col17 p 5 l 1033 (Meyerson 5). All the white individuals have to understand that if they do not plan on being part of the solution, then they are part of this problemCITATION Kat17 p 3 l 1033 (Craig 3). Anyone who is serious about creating racial equality amongst all individuals has to ensure that he or she is anti-racist. Therefore, they have to acknowledge their privileges because even though they don’t ask for them, the opportunities are the main reason why other individuals are oppressed. As human beings we always have the choice of being offended or being the solution, either way, one can be both.
In conclusion, racism has been a disease that has run through the past generations and is still prominent today. However, it is essential to understand that all of us were created equal and we deserve equal opportunities. After all, racism does more harm than good to the society. We ought to understand that everyone has to be part of the solution, and this can be achieved by treating that person next to you as if he or she is your brother or sister.
Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Cornwell, Rupert. “Barack Obama’s 2008 speech on race in United States.” 2008. Independent.
Craig, Katherine. “My fellow white people: if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” 6 September 2017. The Guardian.
Meyerson, Collier. “It’s Time for Americans to Reckon With the True History of Racial Oppression in This Country.” 11 June 2017. The Nation.
Sirimarco, Elizabeth. The Civil Rights Movement. Marshall Cavendish, 2005.
