With the increasingly confrontational protests growing in the streets, the big question is just getting bigger. After George Floyd’s tragic death, the Black Lives Movement rose up to fight against the injustice of his and other innocent African-Americans’ deaths. This would not have been a problem if our society did not blend the idea of race with identity. Yes, our culture and history is what makes us who we are, but our race is not all that defines us.
Around 200-300,000 years ago, Homo Sapiens first evolved in Africa. After the Ice Age started to recede and new land ways were discovered, these humans parted ways to reach other continents. The new environment--weather, food, and land--caused changes to how the humans of each region looked. As people matured, the once disconnected world became more globalized and a new social structure was being forged. The promise of power made men vulnerable to their biggest flaw: greed. With major advancements like the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution laying siege to the world, people used popular ideologies to defend their own miserly seize for power. As time progressed, people finally began to question these ancient ideals that they’ve always taken as law. African and native slaves were freed, women gained the right to vote, equality was promised to all. All these modern changes promised a brighter and more equal future for all but the underlying monster of the past would not let loose without some effort.
Racial discrimination still preys on the American dream and it will continue to do so until rigorous action is taken. An innocent life should not be taken for us to realize that this is a problem for here and now. The problem is not in the idea of race itself--it’s in what we as a society believe about it. Our race is something that should be cherished: we should be proud of who we are and take joy in our differences. Imagine a world where everyone is alike. Everyone likes the same things, everyone looks the same, everyone does the same jobs. Life would be painted a single color and we would lose everything about us that makes us special. Our race is not the issue; in fact, it is our strength.
Race is essential in that it ties us to our culture and our history, but we cannot let it hinder us--or others--from our future. The protests occurring over the past couple weeks have blatantly shown the alarming disparage between races. We all came from the same ancestor. We are all under the species Homo Sapiens. We should all have the same freedoms and rights as anybody else. Denying that is denying someone their humanity. Racial prejudice is a problem for today. The result of this injustice is countless meaningless deaths and a fear to be one’s self. Everyone has something good to offer this world and we are losing so many lives that could have made a difference: not just through death of the body, but through death of the soul. It’s time to stand up and speak out. It doesn’t matter what the shade of your skin is--white, black, brown, green, orange, purple--this is everyone’s problem. We can no longer sit and watch silently while races are being treated unfairly because it is our future to create.
Let’s make the future bright for everyone.
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