Robert Virgil V
LAR 112
Laura Harris
4/26/2011
African-American “Freedom”
We the African American people of America have gone through many trials and tribulations. It is one thing to live in the United States; it is another to be an African American living in the United States. We should definitely be treated equally and never be stereotyped by law enforcement, society, and or anybody who doesn’t know what it feels like to be labeled and colored. We should be guaranteed the right to fair trial and honest judgment from jurors and others who have the power to place us people in prison. We shall be looked as a powerful human being created by God that has the ability to do anything we put our minds to. We the Blacks of America have been tricked and treated unfairly in many ways that most people of other races don’t even realize. We deserve all these rights and promises of being truly free in a so called “free” country just like it is portrayed to be. However, through evidence and experience, it is a totally different world for us here in America.
Being colored is difficult. It is difficult because we all know through past history of slavery and segregation, that we Blacks, at one point, did not have any rights whatsoever. The children who are brought up in today’s world, would have no idea that an actual human being had zero rights right here on the soil they stood on if it wasn’t for history books and testimonies of Blacks themselves. Our ancestors have gone through torture dealing with a lot of blood and tragedies. Through books, journals, and generations, we have been able to express what we went through in those gruesome times in America. No other race has been on such a platform that has exposed our race and embarrassed our lifestyles that have now been stereotyped because of unfairness and slavery that once took place a long time ago.
Slavery however still exists today in America. It is greatly covered up and organized very well and viewed differently now today. When the majority of the people in prison our colored and particularly Black, it raises a big question of why this is. According to the Wisconsin Sentencing Commission, “African-Americans and Hispanics convicted of drug trafficking in Wisconsin are more likely to wind up in prison than white drug dealers. Compared with whites, Hispanics are two and a half times as likely to be imprisoned, while blacks are nearly twice as likely to end up behind bars for dealing drugs”. This is another form of slavery to keep colored people locked up and in the “system” so that the government can keep control of us and stay in our lives through parole and probation policies if freedom from jail is even an option. This releases them from jail but keeps these people shackled outside of prison bars.
Stereotypes happen on a regular, so much that young adults (mainly colored or African American) now remove there ball caps when riding around in a vehicle so they are not labeled as gang members from a certain area of town. This is a strong violation of freedom and should not be tolerated but has to be tolerated because this harassment is coming from the ones in charge and that is law enforcement. Through personal experiences, law enforcement tends to pull over Hispanics and Blacks way more than whites. “Police were much more likely to threaten or use force against Blacks and Hispanics than against whites in any encounter r, whether at a traffic stop or elsewhere”, according to the Justice Department. Although it may be scary to say, that is just how it is because still in people’s minds today, they would love to keep slavery alive through politics and by keeping the African American race struggling and left at a low level when it comes to being successful.
In the eyes of us the colored people, we find it very ignorant to treat a race unfairly because of the shade of their skin. It should be a celebration throughout the entire United States that slavery was abolished. Although slavery was abolished, unfortunately hate was not abolished and can never be abolished. People will always have their own opinions and we will always have others that live off the past and who are not willing to make a change. We were created equal, but that is not what America shows and that has been proven for many years.
Luckily and rightfully, we have made done a couple things that can change the viewpoints on African Americans and maybe allow us to gain full freedom through success and status. We now have an African American President of the United States that was thought by many as impossible. Now why would this be such a shock to the world if some sort of slavery and hate towards our race didn’t exist? It should be a fair opportunity between all races that anyone with the skills and ability to run this country should do just that with full support from the entire country. Blacks have gained respect a lot through the music industry and athletics. The majority race in the NFL and NBA. This is another stereotype towards Blacks that all we care to do is rap, sing, play sports, and if that doesn’t work sell drugs. However, us Blacks have dominated these two occupations and are highly known across the country for this. Being known and respected are two different things and we believe that is what we are now starting to grasp from the American people. Not all Americans dislike Africans Americans and in fact many of them love African Americans. However, there will always be the individuals that want to see us fall and give up on what it is we want to take and that is respect. With faith and desire, we will gain much respect just like we have year by year from the days of slavery and gain our true freedom.
