The Continued Fight for Equality
The Black struggle for equality has persisted since Africans were brought to the United States against their will 400 years ago. Unfortunately, the oppression of African Americans continues to this very day. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declared that all slaves are free, but African Americans remain confined. Racism, political oppression, economic discrimination, education impediments, hurtful stereotypes, and coordinated acts of profiling are some of the confining struggles present in 2020. All these obstacles show that African Americans are still not treated as equals in this country, even though no longer enslaved.
Some believe that if you do not speak up against the unfair treatment of African Americans in the U.S then you agree with it. However, there are ways to show solidarity and support nonverbally. Actions often speak louder than words, and in our everyday life we can show disapproval for racial profiling and discrimination against African Americans by being the change. Let’s recognize and own up to the biases we hold. We can take steps to make waves of change by starting with ourselves and our family. The people who favor inequality in this country do so because they surround themselves with other people who agree that it is acceptable. However, if we start at home, it will make the pool of people who accept inequality a little smaller.
The smaller the pool gets, the more change we will see. The smaller the pool gets, the easier it will be to identify bias in others. The smaller the pool gets, the more comfortable we will become in standing up against discriminatory policies. The smaller the pool gets, increases the number of police officers who do not use excessive force just because they are confronted by an African American man.
Every day we are advocating for our disabled and injured clients, many of whom face discrimination because they are seeking government assistance. By advocating for those marginalized, we hope to make that pool even smaller.
The smaller that pool gets, the closer to change we come.
