by Adrian Kearns

Created on: January 11, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

In classrooms all across the country, we are taught tolerance. Tolerance of one another, tolerance of beliefs, sexuality, religion, ideals. We are taught not to hate people for their color and race. We have taken huge steps toward ending racism, but continually fall short. Largely because the older generations have not died out their ideals and beliefs will hold for several more generations to come. But, I see another issue with racism that has not been addressed which is continually classifying minorities. Rest assured this is not an attack on affirmative action but an attack on society's nomenclature (the naming of races in this case).

We claim to be working toward a United country, but we are divided by our heritage. Groups are classified as "African American", "Asian American" "Hispanic" etc. Do these names help to unite our country? or do they instead sequester (alienate) the masses? Is it better to call someone a black or a Native American? I cite the following example:
I was at a local bar in downtown Long Beach with an acquaintance of mine named Sean. Sean's skin is black, many people assume Sean is African American. He isn't. He is from Trinidad. For those of you who have no concept of Geography Trinidad is a republic in the Caribbean (Think Jamaica). Yet Sean is continually classified as "African-American" he will tell you he is neither African, nor American.
So is it wrong to assume that Sean is something that he is not because of the color of his skin? Another friend of mine is Fijian-American, yet again because of his color he is "classified" poorly.
I must at this juncture state that it is with the utmost distaste that I refer to my friends being "classified" as anything but human beings. This in not seventh grade science. Why are we "classifying" anything" these are people, they aren't frogs, or beetles, or anything else we dissect in a lab. So why the names?
These are not the first groups of minorities to be "classified" nor will they be the last. The slaves were classified as just that, slaves and nothing more. Certain groups of immigrants also faced this type of nomenclature. The Irish for example faced extreme racism and hatred, though not often taught in schools, the Irish lived in ghettos and starved as they took the factory jobs and worked for pennies a week. The Irish were hated in New America. Eventually they became Irish-Americans, and then finally just Americans.
Why do I invite this example? I believe that the hope of African-Americans,

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>