This past Saturday thousands of people gathered to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the historic march on Washington led by Dr. Martin Luther King. The anniversary march was sponsored by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network along with the NAACP and had a host of speakers all talking of race relations with optimism. It gave the feeling that we as a country were actually moving forward.
The hopes of those who packed out the National Mall looked toward a future where race was not the elephant in the room. The speakers suddenly turned in an inevitable direction: “The fight is not over.” The hot topics of Trayvon Martin and the Voting Rights Act were brought to the crowd’s attention as a reminder that there are still problems African-Americans must face.
I am well aware that we do not live in a perfect world. Being an African-American student that attends school on a predominantly white campus in the Deep South, I know that prejudice is definitely not dead. Though honestly speaking, I am exhausted.
Every time race relations and the fight that we as African-Americans must face is brought up, it is placed on the shoulders of the youth. This has been the central theme throughout the years. When can we just take a second and sit back to look at how we far we have come?
If we are constantly fussing about the things that we find wrong in this country, how will we ever see the good? Obviously, the fight still continues, especially with the Voting Rights Act; too much blood was shed in Selma, Ala., and other states for it to be taken away piece by piece. Still, as we continue to fight these battles, we should not forget the milestones that we have reached. There is currently a black president in office, something that I thought would never happen until I had children. There is an increased number of minorities in Congress and holding government positions.
As a nation, we have come a long way from separated bathrooms and movie theaters. I believe we have fulfilled Dr. King’s dream of the races coming together and working to move our nation forward. This column isn’t meant to disregard the issue, but to serve as a reminder that sometimes the world is not that bad.
We do not always have to be fighting against those that try to oppress us, but rather tell them to look around and see that their small injustices have not derailed the bigger fight against racism.
It may not seem like it, but we are progressing. A motto that I keep in mind is “progress is process.” All our problems have not gone away in 50 years, and they probably will not all be resolved in the next 75 years. However, as the world evolves and the minds of the youth constantly create new ideals, change will happen.
Amid all this change, just do not forget to stop and smell the roses.
Amber Patterson is a junior majoring in public relations. Her column runs biweekly on Wednesdays.
