I have previously addressed issues of Race in America. Friday's Court Ruling in Los Angeles, sentencing a white police officer to two years in prison for a deadly shooting; which left a young African American dead, has once again raised tensions on this issue.
I have a problem with those who say this shooting was racially motivated. As I stated in my October Post, "Do you say the word "Nigger", Do you allow your kids too"; I understand the tension between law enforcement and Americans of Color. However, those who advocate for real change in race relations do nothing but harm their cause by making everything an issue of race.
There is no doubt in my mind this shooting was a tragic accident. There was zero evidence presented making this a "racist" incident. The only issue of "race" here was the Officer being White and the victim being African American. Had the victim been White, would people have rioted in the streets???? Actions like this minimize and harm the real issue so many activists wish to change.
More leaders in the African American Community must demand a change in this philosophy and advance their cause.
The video below shows the original shooting:
Why must we call all people who are black "African-American?" If they actually came from Africa and then became an American citizen, then they are in fact "African-American." However, my aunt (who is white), who has lived in Africa over 30 years and was born an American citizen, IS an "African-American." If we're going to call black people African-American (placing the importance on where their ancestors hailed from), then white people should not be called "white," they should be called "European-American." I personally believe we are AMERCIANS first; that is what really matters. The term "African-American" is divisive; it is designed to separate those who claim it from all other Americans.
ReplyDeleteHere is a quote from an article (emphasis added), link attached, "We are not African to any meaningful extent, but we are not white either - and that is much of why Jesse Jackson's presentation of the term "African American" caught on so fast. It sets us apart from the mainstream. IT CARRIES AN AIR OF STANDING PROTEST, A REMINDER THAT OUR ANCESTORS WERE BROUGHT HERE AGAINST THEIR WILL, THAT THEIR DESCENDANTS WERE TREATED LIKE ANIMALS FOR CENTURIES, and that we have come a long way since then." http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_latimes-why_im_black.htm
Yes, we know and acknowledge the history, and it is terrible. Not all white people agree with that treatment of a people group. And I am not personally responsible for it, so don't hold it against me. In fact, my ancestors were not even yet in this country when it was occurring; so I and my ancestors have no part in it. Yet, because my skin is white, I am judged by many of color for what occurred over a hundred years ago. I wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s statement, "judge a man not by the color of his skin but by the contents of his character." That statement is very good advice for everyone, regardless of the color of their skin. We should ALL follow it.
As long as there are those who insist on separating us by race, instead of embracing that we are all Americans, the racial division will be perpetuated.
Bonnie T.
Bonnie, Very well put! Thank you for sharing this and the part about your Aunt makes it particularly interesting. I agree with you and wish we could stop the divisions and all be "Americans". God taught us to love all of his children and said nothing about the color of their skin, in the process.
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