2016 Racism in America
Dr. King’s day was just 2 days ago, as most people celebrated his knowledge and strength to help America be united as one. April 14, 1967 at Stanford, Dr. King made a powerful speech entitled "The Other Americas." Dr. King explained that it is two separate Americas, which white people live in a clean environment with excellent education, verses black people who live in poverty. In today’s society, among racial and ethnic groups, African Americans have the highest poverty rate, 27.4 percent, followed by Hispanics at 26.6 percent and whites at 9.9 percent. 45.8 percent of young black children (under age 6) live in poverty, compared to 14.5 percent of white children (State of Working America: http://stateofworkingamerica.org/fact-sheets/poverty/).
Given these statistics, it shows that the problem still exists today in two Americas that were mentioned by Dr. King.
Just this year, Flint, Michigan residents are suffering from in toxic water that is only located in the urban neighborhoods. Also, a black woman from Chicago was almost raped, beaten and killed by white “skinheads” on the Northside of Chicago after a night of fun at the Diversey River Bowling alley. Not to mention that police officers are getting away with murdering unarmed black people. So my question is, how can we as black people merge the ugly America into the beautiful America?
My opinion is we must stop hate crimes among our own-in our own community. Where can a black person feel safe and be protected? It isn’t in our own community or outside neighborhoods. We can’t even call the police, whose job is to serve and protect. Black people we have to open our eyes and mind and unite with each other to make our past leaders proud. The child that was killed in the past could have been the next Dr. King, Malcolm X or Huey P. Newton. Let’s protect our own!
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