America is a country built on double standards. The basis of our cultural and legal ideals comes from need to be free as a person and a citizen. But America is also a country built on the backs of African-Americans. For most of our history, they have been used, degraded, de-humanized and denied the most basic of rights.
In the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others, the country has become mobilized to right the wrongs of the past.
Today is Juneteenth. I have to admit that up until recently, I had not heard of this day. Now that I know about it, I wish that it had part of the curriculum when I was in school.
Across the political and cultural spectrum, there have been calls to make Juneteenth a national holiday. In my home state of New York, it has been declared a state holiday.
After 400 years of servitude, it is about time we gave the African-American community their due. It’s time to demolish the economic, political, and social structures that have forced Americans of color into a permanent underclass. It’s time to live up to the ideals that the United States is built upon.
Only then will we no longer live with a double standard.
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