Race and class are forever linked in this nation

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I was reading this editorial regarding the Jena 6, and it was very discouraging to say the least. As much as we are force fed in school anti-slavery, anti-racism, and general literature about black and white relations and as much as we diverge from more mind-expanding literature because of this concentration, it is untrue to say we have become progressive. But perhaps the educational system is to blame. The more we are required to study Frederick Douglas, Martin Luther King Jr., and even Alice Walker the more we become numb to hostile race relations.

The more we are exposed to such race-driven subjects the more we disassociate from them and they become less human. Because of this we are ultimately damning ourselves as this is not progress. We are encouraged to look at these moments in history as just that. We are never required to consider more insidious racism and because of this we prolong it. We do not see jokes, even those far less severe than hanging nooses, as a diversion from progress. Instead we gleefully prolong stereotypes and generalizations without even realizing it. Not only does our nation’s racist past continue to linger but we, even as the younger generation, act divisively.

I am not begging for equality or tolerance but rather I am hoping that we will all consider the latent and insidious racism and bigotry spread throughout contemporary society. And not until we become aware of this can any further progress be made.

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