"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed." Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.
Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and as I reflected on the life and works of Dr.King I found myself wondering about the current state of our country today; how much has changed and how much needs to change. Equality is Freedom, and everyone wants to be free. Freedom is the ultimate goal for the human race. We have religions that are in theory supposed to free us from our earthly constraints, the pursuit of money which can provide freedom and power, drugs designed to provide freedom from discomfort and distress , prisons to restrict people from freedom and the list goes on. Dr.King believed in freedom through equality not for some, but for everyone. Nowadays when I hear people speak about equality, they don't mean equality for everyone- they mean equality for their race or for the people they approve of. "I want to see the _________(insert your race here) man on top!" This type of racial and radical supremacist thinking does not only affect those in power, but those who'd like to be in power which leads me to believe this: if said race(s) were in power would things be any different for those groups not in power? Or would they be exactly the same just with a different face on the oppressor and a new face on the oppressed? So the next time you find yourself wishing for equality,justice,peace or freedom don't just wish it for some, wish it for everyone because we are all the human race, with the same needs, feelings, wants and desires.
I think that people feel a comfort when there are people that resemble themselves that are in power. People like to be able to look at their morning newspaper and see someone that has the same eye, hair color looking back at them with a smile on the front page. This builds their self esteem, and makes them believe that if they can do it, so can I. I think that most people believe that they are kind and just, but sometimes, things can change, for instance power can corrupt you. Just imagine if artist, and composer Wyclef Jean being the president (emperor) of Haiti.
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