For years, people of color have been the subject of negative, bad and unattractive light.  Black people have fought and died for their rights to live in America as well as to be considered American. Martin Luther King single-handedly inspired a whole nation to go away in smiles and continue to sing. Rosa Parks single-handedly started an Alabama bus boycott. Malcolm X spoke up and joined a union for black people as well as Muslims. Maya Angelou was a civil rights activist. Fredick Douglas was an African American social reformer, escaped Slave, abolitionist, orater, writer and statesman. All of these incredible black historians died for the struggle that is going on today. They died for all the blood, sweat and tears and for the chance for all black Americans to live. However, their lessons, their teaching, their struggle is being masked by ignorance and racism. 

The director of Black Panther was handcuffed briefly because he looked suspicious. He put a note on the back of a withdrawal slip with a large sum of money and said he would like it to be discreet. The Bank of America teller then triggered the alarm. The director had a hat, sunglasses and a face mask because of COVID-19 policies. Even if you couldn’t see their face, you could still see their hands.

I grew up with a lot of white actors. Black actors were either whitewashed or portrayed as villains in films. Black children don’t see actors that look like them. If they do, they’re always the bad guys. White actors have always been the heroes in everyone’s eyes. What if the roles were reversed? What if black people were the heros? What if white people were the villians? How crazy would that be?

African Americans were brought to America to work without pay and were eventually  beaten and killed. Once slavery ended, we thought that was the end of it. However, it was just the beginning. There would be a long war coming, a war that most people would ignore. Most people wouldn’t even think about it because it doesn’t directly affect them. Now, it is time to shine a light on that war, to open the doors, to open the mind and to finally get people to talk about this war and end it.

War can get VERY nasty, and bloody. There have been outdated bills passed to stop racism. However, they don’t matter. There has been no real action to stop it or to demand that it come to an end. We need to demand the end to the negative light and bring out the positive light. We need to end this fight and move on from the old world. It is the 21st century. We are in 2022 and police still abuse their power. The police and power are a real problem the world refuses to accept. They will never change their way if we don’t demand it. Real change comes from those who never stop fighting. Real change comes from those who demand it and reduce to give up. Real change comes to those who believe there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear.” —Rosa Parks