Current generation needs to wake up!

Mark Braboy
News Editor

As Black History Month comes to a close, I reflect on the mentality of our generation. Some would like for us to think that we should see ourselves in the same light as the folks in the Civil Rights Movement and feel as if we are a part of their struggle.

Unfortunately, we do not deserve that honor because we are a far cry from those heroic people who risked their lives for us to have equal rights and fair treatment. How can we see ourselves in the same struggle when we cannot tackle the struggles that we have as a generation?

Our mentality is far different from the young people 40 and 50 years ago, before the age of social media. How can we compare ourselves to the generations of the past when many of us don’t stand up for or support many of the current social issues or causes that currently affect us? Many of don’t participate in any cause that will not give us the University required community service hours.

The real struggle we face today as a generation is that we are selfish, oblivious, and uncaring about the issues we should really be taking a stand against.

I believe this apathy started in the broken homes and neglect from the crack cocaine era of the 80s and early 90s. Unlike the previous generation, where you consistently had elders more involved with the children, many people in our generation have become disconnected from traditional family values and the whole “it takes a village to raise a child” ideology.

Because of that disconnect, a lot of young people believe that there is no need for us to fight anymore and believe the Civil Rights Movement was merely a phase in time and the struggle is over.

Whereas previous generations were unified and believed in helping each other, we are only out for self.  We, as a generation, have lost sight of who we are and where we came from.

Our support for current causes goes no farther than a “like” for a Facebook status or Instagram picture.  On campus, a lot of us do not support events and forums that we can learn from unless they are held Greek organizations.  I can tell you that a lot of students, as a professor in my department once stated, would rather fight and die for Greek letters than fight and die for human rights and a quality education.

Yes, there are people on this campus who are actively involved in the community, but not nearly enough.

We need to wake up. The best solution I can provide is we need to look at ourselves and figure out what kind of legacy we want to leave the next generation. To really honor those who fought and died for all the freedoms and rights we have today, we must become more socially conscious and aware that the struggle is not over.  I would say that if you didn’t believe me, you could ask Trayvon Martin or Jordan Davis, but they are dead. The untimely and unjust deaths of these two young black men prove that the struggle for civil rights does continue.  The question is, “Will you join the fight, or become a victim of it?