Column by: Essence Holman, Camden Academy Charter High School
From the day Africans arrived on American soil, it seems as though they had a target on their back. The darker skin color was always looked at as dirty dogs, pigs, property, and most importantly inhuman. In other words people that hated African Americans would see a “being, but not really a human.” Knowing that the superiors were heartless and cruel towards those minorities, African Americans faced and still face many challenges.
Discrimination towards African American life creates challenges that are at hand everyday. However, hate towards this race didn’t come from nowhere. It had to start from somewhere.
Since the slave trade, where African American males and females were ripped of their race, they were taken from their homes as if they didn’t even belong there. During this time they were called “n——” and many more degrading names while being beaten constantly and even starved to death while held against their will.
Most importantly, African Americans were doing hard labor for someone else’s glory. The whole entire race during this time was viewed as sloppy animals and worthless nothings. Segregation in the United States didn’t allow “colored people” to get the same education as other humans. African American people weren’t allowed to drink from the same water fountains and also were not allowed to be in the same entertainment centers as whites. So now other races began looking at the African American race as “a being, but not really a human.”
Even though people, places, and things tried to shut the mouths of the “colored people,” the strength and determination of the African Americans wouldn’t allow them to. Many generations were shut down; however, it stopped. From African American billionaires like Oprah Winfrey to athletes like Lebron James, the African American culture is bigger than ever before.
Nowadays we have African Americans lifting other people up and sticking up for each other. For example, Colin Kaepernick was an NFL player but now is a free agent because he wanted to make a stand about equality and justice and now has many races behind him for support.
In these modern days, we have to stick closer than ever before because more positive acts will start to happen which will revive a new and stronger generation. Unfortunately, some people still see African Americans as “a being but not really a human.”
Yes, the same human the United States pushed down for years and degraded is making great changes to break the stereotypes of the African American race.
I am a human.
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