Racism! The people of America know the good, bad, and ugly of the injustices and slander of racism. This issue is not one to be teased about or laughed about but one that should be talked about seriously. There has been a huge change in the way Americans view racism and there are many ways in which this nation has learned about the effects of racism. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barrack Obama share four main topics of interest on this issue of racism: wanting more for children, race as an issue in America, racial divide due to some “thing,” and racial divides not helping this nation.
As a beginner, the first topic that both MLK and Obama share is, wanting a better nation for the children. Society knows that children secure the nation’s future; the nation has learned this. President Obama states that the nation should not refer to the black American children as those children but our children. As with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, he states that he has a dream that his children will be judged by their character and not the color of their skin. Having this said, if the “race card” is out and the personality and content of character is put in, the nation can begin to grow into a more perfect United States of America. The nation as a whole has learned from racism that all children Black, White, Latino, and Asian can make this nation a better place.
Race being an issue that cannot be ignored is the next topic in the hot seat. Race cannot and should not be an issue but, face it, it is. For example, in the days of segregation MLK has thousands of different examples or ideas of how race is an issue. For example, Dr. King says, “One hundred years later, the Negro still is not free:…..The Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and find himself in exile in his own land” (King, I Have a Dream). On the contrary, President Obama’s points are made during the aftermath of racial injustices and gives examples of how race is an issue. He states that segregated schools are not fixed fully, that there is still a gap between the reality of time and the promises that have been made. It is obvious that, yes, the nation has overcome segregation and has learned that race should not be an issue but the reality is that in some cases it still may be.
Next, looking at racial divide, the nation has learned that this is an injustice to the people. President Obama sees racial divide today due to anger and resentment from both black-Americans and white-Americans. In the view of the black American there is anger put upon a person due to the harshness of the reality that once was and the reality of now. Black-Americans are angry for the racial injustices that were put upon them and now want and deserve justice. White Americans are resentful for what they feel they are giving up. Whites are resentful in the fact that they are now laid off or simply not offered a job because a black American wants it. An example from the days where segregation was visible, from Martin Luther King Jr., is signing the Declaration of Independence. He states, “This note was the promise that all men, yes, all men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (King). This shows a strong and non-argumentative divide between people due to the color of their skin. America as a whole learned that through dividing of races is not the best answer to problems but clearly makes them harder to overcome.
As a last look on important points shared by President Barrack Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., racial divides not being a help to the nation and its growth. Dr King states “It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed-…”(King). He is saying that the injustices of segregation are not doing anything valuable for the nation. On the other hand President Obama speaks about the “race card” of today’s reality and how people are throwing it out. He states that if the card is still being thrown how the nation can never change and never grow to become one united and perfect nation. Clearly the nation has learned that for the nation to grow and continue facing problems and issues, all the people, Black, White, Latino, and Asian have to be a team of one nation under God.
Again, President Barrack Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. share similar outlooks on race and how it affects the nation. Racial injustice was alive and in action just forty years ago and today in 2009 the nation seems to just beginning the healing process. Here are some questions to ponder; where would our country be if there was never segregation between black and white? How can the nation grow as a whole to overcome the hostility and resentment of racism? What can President Barrack Obama do for our nation to help the healing process and improve the United States?
