"Our nationality, race and sex are a coincidence.
Our life stance is a choice.
Organize against oppressive structures,
connect the parts, create the Whole"
(from a T-shirt purchased in Berlin, Germany)
Since the blacks were violently brought to America, there unfolded a heart-breaking clash between races, full of blood, exploitation, discrimination and mutual hatred. The recent election of Obama in 2008 proved that there is finally light in the end of the tunnel, and blacks finally get better economical, educational and social opportunities. However, “the past is never dead. It's not even past” (William Faulkner), and the wounds of the slavery will take long time to heel. While the consequences of “the dark prejudice” are still evident, we cannot deny the obvious progress that has been made in regards of race and class mobility in the last 50 years.
In his article “ In Job Hunt, College Degree Can’t Close Racial Gap” Michael Luo gives his analysis of statistics of unemployment for white and black people with college degree. In his opinion, “race remains a serious obstacle in the job market for African-Americans, even those with degrees from respected colleges”. Moreover, the numbers prove, that the college degree, aimed at bringing people of any race and background to the same educational and cultural level, “does not level the playing field – in fact, it appears to have made it more uneven”. If it is the college degree that makes the racial inequality even more pronounced, maybe we teach our students something wrong in the walls of these colleges? I think this issue needs to be looked into, and I hope the investigation will result in the educational reform, where students will be taught tolerance and brotherhood, equality and mutual respect.
But let’s take a look on the racial gap let’s say, half a century ago. Up until 1960’s racial segregation was blooming, putting the black population of the USA in a very disadvantaged economic, social and educational situation. “Legalized discrimination - where blacks were prevented, often through violence, from owning property, or loans were not granted to African-American business owners,” – says B. Obama in his speech “A More Perfect Union” – “explains the wealth and income gap between black and white.” Indeed, blacks were not allowed to study in the same schools, to eat in the same restaurants, to use the same bathroom and to drink from the same water fountain with the white people!
Nowadays, there are a lot of black students and professors in our educational system, even as high as Ivy league universities, there are black top models, black people in the government, black doctors, black lawyers. This proves that the opportunity does exist for the people of color with skills and ambitions. In this regard, while there are definitely consequences of centuries of repression on the black people rights and liberties up until now, the current situation shows that that the amount of social, educational, economic and even political opportunities has increased greatly over the last 50 years.
But three hundred years of oppression unfortunately cannot be omitted as fast as we would like it, and this process has been relatively slow. In my opinion, in order to achieve more productive relationships in our multicultural society all races should make a step forward towards each other. White people, who prefer to hire whites “casting about for the right cultural fit” (Luo) have to realize, that until they treat blacks as equals, their taxes will go towards black unemployment and health care. At the same time, in order to form a more perfect union black people should not let hatred towards the past crimes become a hindrance from a productive future. I really support Obama’s firm opinion, that mutual compromise and attempt to reverse anger and hatred will help us “narrow that gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of our time”.
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