“I see America through the eyes of a victim. I don’t see any American dream. I see an American nightmare.” – Malcom X
52 years ago Martin Luther King Junior stood on the steps of the Lincoln memorial and became the face of a revolution. The civil rights movement saw African Americans finally gain a sense of equality amongst their white counterparts. Despite America priding themselves on being a post-racist society, they live in a society that is anything but post-racial. We live in a world that is anything but post-racial.
In Charleston, a white supremacist walked into a church, famous for its ties to the Civil Rights Movement, and opened fire, killing 9 African Americans. In 2012, after a screening of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, James Holmes …show more content…
When news stations were choosing which image to air when discussing Michael Brown’s death, they didn’t pick the photo of him smiling whilst listening to music. They didn’t chose the picture of him in his graduation gown, after receiving his high school diploma. No, they chose the image of him posing with a handgun, alcohol, and money. They showed a photo of Michael Brown flashing a ‘peace’ sign with the caption ‘victim flashing gang signs’ and ‘possible gang relations’. When James Holmes, a man who killed 12 people in a move theatre after a screening of ‘Dark Knight’, was discussed on the news they displayed an image of him smiling in a suit. The caption under his photo was “James Holmes loved football, and was known to be a …show more content…
But black lives are the ones that are being taken. Black lives are the ones that are being valued less. I was once told that the black lives matter movement wasn’t needed because America has a black president, and that that was obviously enough evidence to signify the end of racism. Saying that racism has been distinguished because America has a black president is like if a country was starving and someone said “No, these few select people have food, so it can’t be that bad”. Michael Brown deserves justice. Eric Garner deserves justice. Tamir Rice deserves justice. Black lives deserve justice. African Americans have been racially oppressed for generations, and to deny their oppression and ignore the racism that is so integrated in our society is, inherently, racist. We need to acknowledge their oppression and our own racism, because before we can rectify the problem everyone needs to understand that there is a problem in the first place. The police brutality against African Americans needs to stop. The violence against them needs to stop. The racial prejudice against black people from the media needs to stop. Our own subconscious racism needs to stop. Before there is another name to protest, before any more bloodshed, and before another grieving mother has to plan her child’s
52 years ago Martin Luther King Junior stood on the steps of the Lincoln memorial and became the face of a revolution. The civil rights movement saw African Americans finally gain a sense of equality amongst their white counterparts. Despite America priding themselves on being a post-racist society, they live in a society that is anything but post-racial. We live in a world that is anything but post-racial.
In Charleston, a white supremacist walked into a church, famous for its ties to the Civil Rights Movement, and opened fire, killing 9 African Americans. In 2012, after a screening of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, James Holmes …show more content…
When news stations were choosing which image to air when discussing Michael Brown’s death, they didn’t pick the photo of him smiling whilst listening to music. They didn’t chose the picture of him in his graduation gown, after receiving his high school diploma. No, they chose the image of him posing with a handgun, alcohol, and money. They showed a photo of Michael Brown flashing a ‘peace’ sign with the caption ‘victim flashing gang signs’ and ‘possible gang relations’. When James Holmes, a man who killed 12 people in a move theatre after a screening of ‘Dark Knight’, was discussed on the news they displayed an image of him smiling in a suit. The caption under his photo was “James Holmes loved football, and was known to be a …show more content…
But black lives are the ones that are being taken. Black lives are the ones that are being valued less. I was once told that the black lives matter movement wasn’t needed because America has a black president, and that that was obviously enough evidence to signify the end of racism. Saying that racism has been distinguished because America has a black president is like if a country was starving and someone said “No, these few select people have food, so it can’t be that bad”. Michael Brown deserves justice. Eric Garner deserves justice. Tamir Rice deserves justice. Black lives deserve justice. African Americans have been racially oppressed for generations, and to deny their oppression and ignore the racism that is so integrated in our society is, inherently, racist. We need to acknowledge their oppression and our own racism, because before we can rectify the problem everyone needs to understand that there is a problem in the first place. The police brutality against African Americans needs to stop. The violence against them needs to stop. The racial prejudice against black people from the media needs to stop. Our own subconscious racism needs to stop. Before there is another name to protest, before any more bloodshed, and before another grieving mother has to plan her child’s