Yes

by Katherine Johnson

Created on: March 11, 2011   Last Updated: March 12, 2011

The word Freedom means many things to many people, no one is free completely at any time and thus no one is truly free, however on the subject of the African American, the freedom they do get came at a price that was extremely hard to pay but they are indeed free. The problem is that freedom is one thing and fair treatment is not always the same thing.

In an article, a person says that all the races experienced slavery, which is not at all true, nor is it close to correct. They said that African Americans should simply get over what happened to them for 400 years and should stop crying about it. However, what most people do not realize is that the races who have experienced slavery are always going to remember it no matter who they are and they will never forget it. The thing is that while it is hard to forget slavery, the African American did obtain the freedom that they desired.

African Americans can now vote and their votes do indeed make a difference, their children can go to schools, can attend the same functions, and can go to jail for the same crimes. This freedom is theirs (or should I say ours as I too am African American) to have and to hold for as long as they live. However, freedom doesn't always come with fair treatment. In the United States while it is true that African Americans can do what all other races in America can do, it is usually at a much higher price.

Take for instance, it is the African Americans right to own property, something that was denied them during slavery. They also get the benefit of sending their children to school, so an education is also their right, however in both of these situations, there are stipulations to these freedoms.

The African American can indeed own that new home, car or other piece of property, however it usually comes with higher interest rates and if the neighborhood is primarily white, it may come with a lot of racist neighbors which would hinder the right to pursue happiness in your own home, that you had the right to buy.

Another problem with the freedom to send your child to school is that the schools in predominately African American neighborhoods are clearly not up to the standards of those in white neighborhoods, even if the neighborhood contains people who are in the same income bracket. Which says to an African American, you can have that education, it simply can't be as good as everyone else's, because better education was not offered in being free.

Another instance is how the law works in this country, if a white man commits a crime, they will see the inside of the prison system. They will be required to do the time for doing the crime. African Americans also are subject to this as well. However, where the difference comes in is not in the fact that both are punished but the severity of the punishment for the same crime. Many times African Americans receive much harsher punishments for committing the same crimes.

The last thing that African Americans are now free to do is to hold jobs of higher rank and position. In times before this was not even a consideration, today a black person who is educated and has the skill to do a job can get that job, they are free to hold that title and are free to command the respect of everyone who works in that particular place. However where the difference comes in is the pay for the same position for a white man and for an African American. For both the education can be equal, the experience and skill can be equal and the commitment can be equal, however the pay is rarely equal and African Americans earn 20 to 30% less than his white counterparts who hold the same position.

While the African American is indeed free, he or she is unfairly treated at times, which is why you hear them refer to slavery so often. When as a people you have finally obtained freedom, but that freedom means that you are still unfairly treated, then you are more likely to remember what started the unfair treatment, which in this case was slavery.

Learn more about this author, Katherine Johnson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.