Posted 10 months ago Comments

As I sit here and listen to the rain beat down upon the tin roof my mind is filled with a variety of things.  One of the things that came across my mind is how racially segregated everything still is.  Which causes me to wonder what is it about a person skin pigmentation that causes one to be intimidated or instantly conjure up pure hate.  If I were to begin to tell a story of a heinous crime the first thing one would want to know is if the offender was African American.  Why we are as a people still viewed so negatively after all of these years?

This past Saturday a young Caucasian woman in the local Piggly Wiggly referred to my 68 year old mother as an asshole.  Now my mother was pushing a shopping cart and this woman was behind her as she was turning to enter a checkout line.  The woman tried to go around my mom and when she couldn’t she called her an asshole.  My mom being the person that she is asked me not to say anything but I being the person that I am had to confront her.  So, as she was leaving the store I stopped her and asked her if I correctly heard the statement that she made. 

She went on to tell a lie about how she was in line and some people (my mom) just got in front of her and every time she comes to that store she is treated un-fairly.  She apologized about what she had said because she knew she was wrong.  I did not get loud, never left off the property and was respectful to her at all times; although, she blatantly disrespected my mother who was old enough to be her grandmother.  I approached the woman not to be confrontational but to allow her to know I heard her and that her actions were inappropriate and disrespectful.  We cannot go around misbehaving thinking that our actions will not one day catch up with us.  I say that this woman is lucky that she did not disrespect a more radical African-American or the conversation or the incident may have taken another direction all together. 

I also think of the President of the United States of America Mr. Barack Obama. He has been the most disrespected president in my lifetime.  He is referred to by his name and not President Obama.  Because he is articulate and educated it is considered arrogant and condescending.  Critics are always talking about if he is black enough, is he a citizen of the U.S. and every move he makes is under the microscope.  He is criticized for wanting his kids to go to public school, his wife for wearing shorts and a variety of other things.  However, in the eight years Bush was in office not once did we constantly hear about his constant vacations and costs, dinner parties or the war and how it was ignorant for beginning in the first place.  As a country people became patriotic and defended his vacations’ as he deserves a break after plotting America’s next move against the “Enemy”.  Although, I am still trying to decipher who exactly are our enemies since he helped us accumulate so many.  However, President Obama is expected to be a miracle worker and undo in a 4year term what it took Bush to screw up in 8years.  This is because of the society color complex. 

In summation Dr. King you were a very articulate and educated man.  Your dream is one that I also hope that one day will become a reality.  However, as of today that dream is deferred because this nation is still one that judges a person based on the color of his/her skin and not the content of the person’s character.  The bells of freedom may be ringing but I ask is anyone listening and if so, how will you answer its call?

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