A Discussion on Civil Rights
Barely 40 years ago the Civil Rights Movement took America by storm. Unfortunately, some fellow black people act as if we are in the same environment as we were 40 years ago. Last semester in my African American Studies class, I wrote on this very issue. Following is a section of that paper. And this is where I begin...
Thankfully, with the civil rights movement of the 1960s, black immigrants and black people today have opportunities to acquire the higher-paying jobs and don't have to settle for the menial low-paying jobs the first generation immigrants had little choice in accepting. No longer is racial discrimination and racism as overt as it was then. However, the civil rights movement that emerged after the first generation of black immigrants was somewhat of a double-edged sword. It undeniably increased the opportunities available to Blacks, but it inadvertently increased the very thing that has been at the center of the struggle within the black community - a rabid form of racial consciousness. *End of paper*
One of the most untrue things I hear from some fellow black people that irritates me beyond words is, "The white man is keeping us down!" Hold on...What?! Sure, some of that still exists. For me to deny that would be ignorance of the highest level. But it surely isn't to the degree it once was. The "white man" isn't keeping you down, YOU are keeping you down. Disagree? Let's name a few people...
Jackie Robinson, Oprah, Michael Jordan, Michael Vick, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jackson, Barry Bonds (despite his other stuff), Johnny Cochran, LL Cool J...
Success is a choice, not a privilege. With success comes sacrifice, and with sacrifice comes challenges, and with challenges comes opportunity. These people did not use the excuse, "The White Man is keeping me down." Why aren't more of us clinging to this newfound cornucopia of opportunities that have been presented to us just waiting to be taken advantage of? Your inability to rise above your challenges will keep you from having to sacrifice something that will help lead to success. It is a simple formula. Michael Jordan did not let his being cut from the highschool Varsity basketball team stop him. He overcame the challenge and sacrificed the time to develop and hone his basketball skills--which led him to succeed and become one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Success is a choice. Will you make the best of your opportunities and strive for success or will you make excuses that prevent you from attaining it? I'm sure people like Oprah and Johnny Cochran certainly didn't.
Thankfully, with the civil rights movement of the 1960s, black immigrants and black people today have opportunities to acquire the higher-paying jobs and don't have to settle for the menial low-paying jobs the first generation immigrants had little choice in accepting. No longer is racial discrimination and racism as overt as it was then. However, the civil rights movement that emerged after the first generation of black immigrants was somewhat of a double-edged sword. It undeniably increased the opportunities available to Blacks, but it inadvertently increased the very thing that has been at the center of the struggle within the black community - a rabid form of racial consciousness. *End of paper*
One of the most untrue things I hear from some fellow black people that irritates me beyond words is, "The white man is keeping us down!" Hold on...What?! Sure, some of that still exists. For me to deny that would be ignorance of the highest level. But it surely isn't to the degree it once was. The "white man" isn't keeping you down, YOU are keeping you down. Disagree? Let's name a few people...
Jackie Robinson, Oprah, Michael Jordan, Michael Vick, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jackson, Barry Bonds (despite his other stuff), Johnny Cochran, LL Cool J...
Success is a choice, not a privilege. With success comes sacrifice, and with sacrifice comes challenges, and with challenges comes opportunity. These people did not use the excuse, "The White Man is keeping me down." Why aren't more of us clinging to this newfound cornucopia of opportunities that have been presented to us just waiting to be taken advantage of? Your inability to rise above your challenges will keep you from having to sacrifice something that will help lead to success. It is a simple formula. Michael Jordan did not let his being cut from the highschool Varsity basketball team stop him. He overcame the challenge and sacrificed the time to develop and hone his basketball skills--which led him to succeed and become one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Success is a choice. Will you make the best of your opportunities and strive for success or will you make excuses that prevent you from attaining it? I'm sure people like Oprah and Johnny Cochran certainly didn't.
posted by TJ Keepin' It Real at
9:08 PM
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