ATTENTION: Racism Is Over? You Be The Judge!

ATTENTION:  Racism Is Over    by Autumn Alston (attorney, Charlotte, N.C.)
PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE: http://www.liberalamerica.org/2013/12/02/attention-racism/


       I was on twitter when  I ran across a hash tag that read #RACISM ENDED WHEN.

       As I followed it I came across this article (link is above) which I believe articulates a common theme relative to racism.  I pulled a quote from the article (next paragraph), but I encourage you to read it in its entirety.

       This theme  happens to be both true and misguided. I will explain why

"They do not seem to understand (or aren’t willing to admit) the role that the past plays in the present, and will play in the future; for most people aren’t POOR just because they want to be, but rather because of the decades and centuries of lack of opportunities and downright discrimination plaguing their families and themselves." -Autumn Alston.

      

 Autumn, your spirit and your arguments inspire me because I am the father of 5 beautiful daughters (no boys), the oldest is your same age, and I used to speak just like you. As I've matured, I have started to really listen to what my inspiration (MLK) was saying at the point of his death and he realized what your quote points out. Poverty knows no color and what is right for poor people of any color is right for blacks of America regardless of our history in America. Your article points out the value of Affirmative actiion, but sometimes Affirmative Action will choose a black student who's parents have money (but may not have gone to college) and exclude a first generation poor inner city white kid because he is white.

       I get that the reverse scenario happens all the time, but justice should not attempt to balance history, it should attempt to balance the scale. My point is that descendants of African American slaves will never catch up from a socio-economic standard because both of our ancestors have lived and died and what they've given us can not change. What we can do is insure that the spirit of justice exists within the systems that matter. Preferences will always exists because we ALL use stereotypes.  If an Italian pizza shop owner seems to have a lot of Italian looking staff because that is his comfort level, legislation can not change that . However, his kid who will own the shop one day and loves him some Jay-Z is likely to make the shop look a bit different in the future.

       Here's to you Autumun, (and the young man who loves Jay-Z).......the future.

So Is Racism Over?  Who knows.  Thanks to Political Correctness, we haven't had a Real Talk about it.
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