Between a Rock and Independence!

By DeShawn Morgan (P SayDat)

The deepest color that a picture can have is experience and America is certainly experienced! America is known worldwide as the land of equality, according to lines written in the Declaration of Independence and its Constitution. Other nicknames given to this country are the land of the brave and the land of the free. All monikers of no substance according to the oppressed minority population. this article is from their stance, a look at America from her underbelly, a spot consistently fighting for equality and independence

Imagine hate, distaste, and malevolence all bottled up, and poured indiscriminately into the cups of the occupants of a nation. The leading elite of the country harboring the belief that not only are they above the rest due to financial leverage, but also, because they lack a certain genetic application that others are born with. The belief that as long as they possess a fairer-shaded skin they are protected from being the bottom of society fostered among not only the elites but also amongst the less financially stable of the leading race, segregating them on a plateau from other people of similar circumstantial and financial background. Imagine knowing that this is deeply embedded into the conscious and sub-conscious mindset those whom you have to work for and see daily. Despite this knowledge of buried distaste, you still answer to these individuals in order to feed your family daily. This is the hardship of being a Black man in America,

Chester jones who is an army veteran and skilled laborer says “Being Black is playing the cards that you are dealt, and that is throughout all aspects of life. We have to deal with societal struggles and challenges. Systematic struggles as well. We have to deal with the same, even in our own communities. Being Black is being the most adaptive creature on this planet!(Interview)”. When asked why he thought this way, he states ”These insights are due to my experiences. I mean not only do I have to deal with racial injustices and systematic racism at work, but you have to deal with other races also looking down on you because they have knowledge of the presumed deficit of society. It’s literally like being birthed with a handicap. Imagine having to compete in a race with both of your legs tied?(interview)”.

Take the time to read posts, Facebook logs, and any blogs from the myriad of social apps to learn the current of America’s feelings. The blind can see that the unanimous sentiments of distaste towards the darker skinned community is felt all over this country. This subject has been detailed in writing since before the emancipation of slavery in America, and certainly after. James Weldon stated in his book The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man “It’s no disgrace to be black, but it is often inconvenient (Weldon,1912)”.

Is it not weird to think that a naturally occurring phenomenon can be “inconvenient” ? Or even that this “inconvenience” can be the difference between an easy -going traffic stop and a stop that is possibly fatal? Is it not the least bit unfair that America expects the black community to just deal with the deficit it left behind; expecting this community to fight an uphill battle just to be considered on par with the rest of America and just to be considered an equal? Is this considered liberty and justice for all? Is this the moral principle of equality that America was stated to be founded on, and if it is why does America find this to be okay?

If one wants to see the impact of consistent hardships on a life, then by design he has nowhere to look but on the plight of the “Black” man in America for a definitive answer. Ijeoma Olou ,in his book So You Want to Talk About Race, states “We live in a society where race is one of the biggest indicators of your success in life. There are sizable racial divides in wealth, health, life expectancy, infant mortality, incarceration rates, and so much more. We cannot look at a society where racial inequality is so universal and longstanding and say, 'This is all the doing of a few individuals with hate in their hearts.' It just doesn't make sense.(Olou, 2018)”. And obviously many agree. America, a country whose very own founders dubbed it “The Land of The Free” and then turned their backs on the very concept has a lot to answer for. For a place that deems itself “The Land of Equal Opportunity” it has sure left the “Black” man between a rock and a hard place!

References

Weldon, J. (1912). Goodreads.com. Sherman, FG trench, and Company. Retrieved October 16, 2020, from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130312.The_Autobiography_of_an_Ex_Colored_Man

Ijeoma Oluo - So You Want to Talk About Race-Seal Press (2018). (2013). Retrieved October 17, 2020, from https://studylib.net/doc/25372129/ijeoma-oluo---so-you-want-to-talk-about-race-seal-press--...