Yes

by Wayne Leon Learmond

Created on: March 11, 2010   Last Updated: February 28, 2011

The fact that there is now a black President of the United States of America is proof that the country is slowly, and at long last, changing her views on the whole race problem. Indeed many people, black as well as white, never thought that they would see the day when a black man would reach the very highest echelons of power within the United States. 

Yes, he may be in power for only one term, but the barriers have been broken, at last, and President Obama will certainly not be the last black President that the country will see.  Indeed, there will come a time, when America will appoint her first female President too - which will be another barrier broken.

But it is to race that we concentrate on here. Maybe more than any other country {barring South Africa} race has played a pivotal role in the shaping, and the history, of a whole nation. Institutionalised racism has been the one defining factor in America that has shaped her very infrastructure. It has shaped her infrastructure in such a way that, psychologically, it has affected every single aspect of a person's life - be they black or white.

Deep-rooted racism has held the country in an iron grip of fear, hatred, bigotry and dread for generations. Something so ingrained and so seeped into the psychology of the nation is, as one would expect, very hard to shift.  Yet there have been many millions of people who have enjoyed their positions of power - to the detriment of others. They have allowed this system of apartheid to fester and breed, in all walks of life in America.. 

They have become blase to the chronic suffering of others [contributed by them]  while they have lived the good life, full of opportunities. Indeed, to be born with white skin in America one has already a head start in life, with all that entails. And this can never be denied, as history has proved time and again. 

To be born with black skin in America would mean, in the past, that that person would be already condemned to a life of misery and racial abuse. They would be put in the worst schools,the worst housing, and would be looked down upon as lower than second class citizens. That was what it meant to be born black in the 'democracy' of America.

The racial stereotypes would be seen everywhere one looked in the States, from the Jim Crow laws of the Deep South {which actually even separated people on the basis of color by the washrooms they used, and by the fountains they drank from {white here, 'black' here}. 

The doors of churches, concert halls, hospitals,  and reading rooms were all closed to those that happened to have black skin. - yet, at one time, every single one of those doors would have been open to him, or her,  if they happened to be a 'beloved' servant, working for 'their master'...oh, how the curse of slavery has twisted logic..

The First World War saw the Luftwaffe drop leaflets from their planes on the black regiments of the United States. These were the same regiments that where fighting for 'democracy' and 'freedom' against Hitler and his armies.  Yet, they did not have those same freedoms in their own birth land.

They could not go to a restaurant, or sit in the white section of a bus, or go to a theatre, without being attacked and  lynched. That is the 'democracy' that they had in America...exactly no democracy at all. Indeed, even in the service of their own country, the military was split on the ridiculous lines of color.

Throughout the history of the United States can be found historical facts such as those mentioned above. Change has been very slow in coming, but, coming it is. With the election of a black President, {something in which the whole world thought that they would never see} America is slowly seeing that it is the content of character and not the color of a person's skin that is truly important.  American society will change. Yet, for people to change, the change has to come from the heart and not the head.

True change will happen when people begin to see each other as just that...human beings, with the same hopes, aspirations and fears as everyone else. People, whether they be black or white, have to be given an equal chance to succeed in life, to become anything that they want to become, without fear of prejudice and barriers. After,all,is not this what the American Constitution is all about?  If Americans do not change their views on racism, than the whole country will collapse from within like a deck of cards, the whole of American society will come crashing down around her ears

In this day and age, racism has no place now in the 21st century.  This is simply because people will not stand for the conditions and attitudes that their ancestors had to put up with all those years before. There are many people {both white and black} who are, more determined than ever that the errors of the past will not be repeated.  There has to be a sense of fairness - and fair play - in American society, than there ever has been in the past.

Yet, there are still those that hold that black people, and white people, just cannot 'mix'. The prejudices still prevail and hold peoples hearts, stopping them from ever truly becoming 'one nation'.  Until these views change, then racism will continue to breed, exist and hold prisoner those who just cannot, or will not move on.

And so the cycle of hatred repeats itself over and over, until the country destroys itself from within.  There are just as many black people that simply refuse to work, or mix with white people. They prefer to live separate lives, not wanting to meet others of another skin color.  This attitude is counter-productive if ever America is going to move forward in the 21st century. Such attitudes will only succeed in bringing down the country that they all claim that they love.

It does not take a genius to work out that no terrorist could destroy America with bombs and germ warfare. No, what will destroy America would be racism... for that would be the one defining factor that would break the country as a whole. A big part of the population have changed their views on racism, but the change is not fast enough. Change needs to come, and a fair chance in life needs to be had by all Americans... and not just for the privelaged few.

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