Taylor Bembery
Associate Editor
As we come to celebrate and observe the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one cannot discuss him without explaining his goals for society. One of Dr. King’s biggest dreams was to have a color-blind society but would he be satisfied to know his dream in 2014 is possibly deferred?
As a young Black woman, I grew up in the predominately Black city of Detroit where racism and discrimination is currently at an all time high in the surrounding suburbs. And yes, I have been faced with discrimination because of my skin color. I will never forget my experience; it happened at a shopping mall in a suburban area outside of Detroit in Troy, Michigan at a high-priced mall that includes stores such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Neiman Marcus, etc., called Somerset Collection.
It was actually my second time visiting the mall because I usually shop online or in the city of Detroit but I had gone Christmas shopping with a friend. We went inside of a store that many people are familiar with and idolize, Michael Kors. Upon entering the medium sized store there were four employees, three were available and they were all white.
We were looking to purchase items but no one greeted us or asked if we needed assistance. We spent about 20 minutes looking around in the store. For a while I thought, “Am I Invisible?” but I no longer was going to take the lack of service and left the entire mall out of anger.
Ironically, sometimes it does seem like we have a color blind society, literally. Some people don’t see people of color, making us invisible. Many times when you think times are getting better, one event can take place and take society back to square one. This is true for all minorities. Daily you see stories of racism and prejudice on the Internet, stories about somebody being harassed or discriminated against because of their race.
Instead of focusing on things that have no relevance such as race and ethnicity, people should focus on things that are affecting mankind. Gun violence, cancer, drug abuse, domestic violence, AIDS, obesity, rape, molestation, poverty, and world hunger. These issues affect all races and if we just stopped and realized that we all have the same struggles, maybe things would get better.
My ancestors fought tirelessly, patiently and some even died so that I could have equal opportunities and live in a color blind society. Discrimination is an insult to those ancestors, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the people who participated in the sit-ins, boycotts, and other activities during the Civil Rights Movement. They did what they had to do selflessly so that future generations would not have to suffer as they did.
How can we have a color blind society when the old generation is teaching a new generation to hate each other because of their skin color? The only thing you can heal hate with is love. So until we can teach each other how to love without seeing or caring about a person’s race, religion, or sexuality. A color blind society will an unattainable fantasy.
The views expressed in the commentary are those of the writer(s) and in no way represent the views of The Blue & White Flash.
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