The views in this article are the author’s own and do not represent the views of Her Campus or Her Campus FSU.
We all see it. We all tend to do it. Unfortunately, even when on accident, the divide almost always happens. Being black in America is hard. Belonging to any minority in America is hard. It causes this divide because we are never “good enough”.
“You’re pretty for a black girl.” Let’s just get something straight. This NOT a compliment. This is a downright insult. You’re implying that blackness is ugly. Stop.
This is one of the major racial divides – when assuming that you’re complimenting someone, you’re actually insulting them. You can’t compliment someone and think that adding on “for a black person” makes it okay. If I said, “You’re smart for a white girl,” there would be a problem, correct? Exactly. There’s no reason why this should be the case. You see the problem when it relates to you, but you can’t define the problem when it has nothing to do with you.
They poke and prod us like we’re not humans, like we aren’t Americans.
From the very beginning, when in diapers, black men specifically are already on a path that is only set to lead them to destruction: drugs. The drug path leads down a dark path, a path filled with danger. Then, they’re locked up. There’s their life… gone in the blink of an eye.
Sometimes I wonder if there is even such thing… what is racial equality in America?
America has a severe racial divide. Although, it has improved since, say, 1942, the divide still exists in a way that it shouldn’t in this day and age.
This is a question I wonder about every day. Do all lives really matter? Do they matter to our government? Do they matter to all citizens?
This is how we’re having to fight for our rights. We have to literally put an end to years of the majority turning a blind eye and show them that we are here to stay, to make a change, to be heard, and to have the RIGHTS that we deserve.
Even when I think that sometimes this really isn’t fair, and that maybe I should treat the white supremacists and bigots the same way they treat me, I realize that it won’t work. Fighting racism with racism doesn’t work. If we ever want to see an end to racism, we have to find a way to create unity. We need to unite and truly try to understand one another so that we can build a place where we want our kids and our grandkids to be able to live, where they’ll feel safe and not as though the color of their skin will get them in trouble.
Being black isn’t a bad thing. Just because you’re black doesn’t mean you should be treated some kind of way. The same thing goes for other minorities – everyone should be treated as equals.
This is the feeling I have every election; I feel as though no matter how hard we fight, no matter how hard we are pushing and taking the steps in the right direction, black people are torn down and pushed back no matter how much progress we’ve made or how much ground we’ve covered.
This is the racial divide that comes with driving in America. There’s a difference between driving while black in America and driving while white in America.
White America trying to erase our memories:
There’s a constant racial divide when it comes to how our history is portrayed. Throughout history, people argued that we weren’t citizens even though our ancestors are the ones that built this country. Even now, we can’t be recognized as citizens without there being stipulations and threats to our lives.
This is an issue. Our current form of government ideally was supposed to be great, but the government can’t be great unless we’re following the rules and stipulations. Often times, we don’t follow the rules and stipulations that have been put in place, and so the system has become rife with racial inequalities.
We’re a country that’s supposed to be the “land of the free,” yet people who seek freedom in our country are now being turned away. Then, there’s the fact that black Americans who are born here and should be considered citizens are constantly being told that they don’t belong in America. America seems to have more racism circling around than equality for all.
Black Americans are human beings, they are citizens. Black Americans and other minority Americans should be treated equally.
It’s as if it’s okay for other people to do things, but yet once a black person does something it becomes a problem. Why? Why are we considered the monsters? Why are we considered a scapegoat to serve hatred towards?
That’s exactly what I want to know. Why is it that when a black American dies at the hands of a white person, it’s decided that they’re automatically guilty and that they were up to no good. It’s not a “gang thing” every time that a black teen or black American at all is killed.
Say her name. Say their names. All of these victims’ names should be heard and repeated, and they all deserve justice. It shouldn’t be normalized for black people to just die at the hands of white people without any accord.
This is the question that I ask myself every day. How are we still “slaves” in 2018, almost 2019? How? It’s truly scary that in 2018, we’re still sharing lifestyle qualities with those who lived during enslavement in the U.S.
I’m not saying that every life doesn’t matter, but right now, black lives are the ones that are diminishing quickly. Black Americans are being killed left and right, and not for justifiable reasons, but just because they are black. Killing someone because of the color of their skin is a truly disgusting act.
When I saw this gif for the first time, I was perturbed. This gif exists purely because so many unarmed black teens are shot and killed by police officers every year. There is a racial divide between law enforcement and black Americans, and this is where the problem lays. Even though this goes back years, law enforcement needs to make a better effort of understanding rather than shooting first and asking questions later (if they even decide to ask).
It’s past the time for us to rebuild. WE need to have started rebuilding about a year ago. Rebuilding is a must if we want black Americans and other minorities to ever have a chance to be equal in this country and to have fair lives to live.
All Gifs courtesy of Tenor, and all images courtesy of Tumblr.