Martin Luther King Jr. had “a dream,” and he shouted that dream out on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963. But how far have we come since he demanded that our nation hold to our creed, “that all men are created equal”?
In my opinion, we are not very far from the day those words were heard. Men are not equal. Though it is true that we are closer to living the “dream” because there are different races attending the same schools and no one is forced to sit at the back of the bus or drink from different fountains.
The “dream” has left a lasting impression on me since I first learned of it in my school lessons. Although my trials are nowhere near what others have had to endure, I know what it is like to be considered the inferior race.
I am Mexican-Irish. I grew up in a biracial home, but my mom and dad always let me know that how I succeeded was my choice, and that my brown skin was not a hindrance unless I made it one. But I also know that my parents had to endure far more than I ever have. People didn’t look too highly upon a Mexican and an Irish together.
Even to be called a “spic” is nothing compared what other races have had to go through. But, even for all of the people who treated me in a positive way, the one person who dared utter their ignorance to me with that word had an effect. I knew of the ignorance of people who believed that white people were the superior race, and with that, I believe those people will always exist.
Though “nigger” is not something I care to hear directed at someone I know, or even don’t know at all, I have heard it. In passing, I heard a friend of mine call a black person that word. I stood aghast in disbelief. He had the audacity to say they were friends, and his friend was cool with it.
Needless to say, I felt the civil rights movement had been put back 20 years. Why would someone be fine with being called something of that nature? Have people gotten so used to the defaming remarks and name-calling that they just as nonchalantly call their “friends” names that were deemed so discriminatory and repulsive just a short while ago?
We’ve made strides in civil rights, yes, but we also seem to have gotten so comfortable in society with hate speech and derogatory comments that calling someone a “retard” is not considered a demeaning remark, when in fact it is.
There are minorities across the country in schools with white students. There are people of color sitting anywhere they want on the bus. We are sharing drinking fountains. But people of color will never be considered equals because there are still so many out there who feel white people are of a superior race. As long as ignorance is still voiced in hate speech and everyday conversations with “friends,” we will never be equal and the “dream” will never be seen.
That is how far we’ve come.