Talking about racism is a hollow conversation without first discussing its origin, from slavery to Jim Crow, the segregated south and separate but equal, Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity laws, and most recently corporate Diversity/Sensitivity Training and Cultural Awareness. The purpose of each of these initiatives was to change and cultivate old ways of thinking that suggested any race was inferior to another. These initiatives were designed with elements to reverse racist ideologies, and behavior, that prohibited African Americans from pursuing, and participating, in the American Dream as described in the delayed, but not denied, Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”
Most realize African Americans did not endure the struggle for freedom, equality, and respect alone. No doubt, there were white abolitionists during reconstruction who risked their lives and reputations for the cause of African Americans freedom. There were also white clergy and white citizens who marched with Martin Luther King for equality. The stench of racism only began to lessen as recent as the mid-1970’s, as schools, neighborhoods, the workforce, and athletics continued to integrate.
Left of Center
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