Black & White

What do you see? Do you see in color or black and white? We want to live in ignorance believing that racism is dead. We want to believe that there is no segregation. We pray that hate does not exist. If only we lived in a monochrome world. Racism exists in various forms. It is not blacks pitted against whites. When racism is mentioned the first image that flies into our minds revolve around slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation, and KKK. When will we realize that it extends so much farther than that? A child is accused when they enter a store. They were labeled disrespectful, irresponsible, sneaky, lazy, and untrustworthy before they set foot in that store. The store owners watch them like a hawk. The child is aware that they are being watched and would just like to buy his pack of gum but feeling uncomfortable he heads out. This has happened time and time again when mom and dad aren't with him. A foreigner doesn't stand a chance. Capitalizing on their misunderstanding of the language or their unfamiliarity with a new place they are taken for a ride on a highway known as robbery. They too are suspect in the simple day to day errands that we all take for granted. A culture that has taken pride in their heritage is taunted because they do things differently. If someone from a different ethnic background attempts to learn their practices they are accused of betraying their culture. Labels are placed on both groups and before you know it riots have broken out. A handicapped adult with a heart of gold is harassed day after day. They might look different, speak differently, require some assistance. They don't talk, act, dress, look like us. Yet are they any less human that we are?A teen walks the halls of their school and notices the cliques. There are common themes that run through each group. They may seem small but they exist and it is noticed. The clothes, hairstyles, jewelry, even the color theme sets apart each group. Your choice in music and movies or even video games supposedly tell you at what level you are.Religious fanatics shout that unless you are a part of their denomination you are doomed. A feminist tells us to not let men walk over us we are equal. A political party continually splashes mud all over their opponent only to be participating in the behavior that they reprimanded for days before. Before you know it hate begins to show up. Maybe there are differences. Imagine if you set aside the fear of the unfamiliar to learn something new from the people around you. Just because a person does not look like you, talk like you, dress like you, like the same things you do, eat the same foods you do does not make them less or more of a person. We were all created equal but not indistinguishable.