Happy Black History Year!!!

Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King have both died in the past 6 months, but what they stood for, what all the civil rights leaders, and people of that era stood for and fought for will still live on.

I am very grateful for what everyone did during the civil rights movement, black and white. I think that when we think about the civil rights movement we forget that there were white people who also fought and died so that everyone could have equal rights. Please refer to this site for a timeline http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html

I think that in today’s society with the technology, cell phones, and the ability to just go into any restroom or restaurant with out scrutiny, we forget that the civil rights movement was just yesterday. We take things such as school for granted. Need I remind you of Brown vs. The Board of Education? We can go to any school and apply and go to any college, and better ourself through an education. They fought and died so that we can have that right. We run around here as if someone owes us something and that they should just give it to us. If the people of the civil rights movement had that mentality, where would we be?

Another thing that makes me mad is the constant stereotypes that the black community has and that the black community does not try to abolish. Lets name a few, sex, drugs, and crime. I wonder where the media and others get this stereotype from??? Hmmm, let's just turn on BET, ohh what's that, an ass, the snowman, oh and let's not forget the guns. Are you for real?! Most people know that you can not believe everything you see on TV, but come on, if you are only seeing one thing over and over again, what are you going to think.

Black people were labeled promiscuous when they were enslaved to dehumanize them. And what are we doing, making songs and glorifying multiple sex partners, lets not even address the HIV epidemic in the black community, mainly black women.

Black history month is not February, its year round. Happy Black History Year!!! We are no longer physically enslaved, but don't allow yourself to be mentally enslaved. Oh the white man is just trying to bring me down. The white man put me in jail. Really? So you weren't the one selling or using that drug, the white man was and then framed you? Just don't do it to begin with and then you wont have to worry about getting into trouble. I understand that it may not be total equality yet, but who said it wouldn't be a long fight. We have to continue to prove ourself and rise above the rest. Yes it will be tiring, but what we do now will affect our future generations, and that is who the civil rights movement had in mind, future generation. Not everyone who fought for change was able to see the change, but they fought anyway.

It wasn’t that long ago that people couldn’t go to any school , apply to any job, go to any restaurant, and etc. Let’s keep what they fought for imprinted in our hearts and minds so that we do not become complacent, forgetful and ungrateful that we have these rights.

The journey has just begun, the civil rights movement just paved the path for us to become all that we can be as a community. Where are our business owners, black fortune 500 companies, community service activists, opera, stage, and I mean the list just goes on. We are not confined to the music industry and basketball. We have a whole world out there, spread your wings and fly!! That’s what they fought for. They didn’t fight for the ability to show our asses on BET or have riot type fights at concerts or other social events.

Let’s stop bringing each other down, and help them up. Don’t look down your nose at someone if you have an education and they don’t. Your not better than them, we are all the same. Let’s not talk about the crack head, let’s talk about how we can help and prevent it from happening.

Exercise the right to vote that they fought and died for us to have. Come together and protest the poor schools in the minority neighborhoods, so that our youth can get an education and compete in society. Protest and rally when the cops do not protect the lower income neighborhoods as they should. Remember, politicians want to keep their jobs, and bad publicity and the risk of constituents not voting for them is not a chance they want to take.

Anyway, I think I will just keep on going on and on. So, in summary, Happy Black History Year!!! Continue to fight and don’t become complacent because there is so much more out there for all of us.