About My Blog

"All men are created equal" are the opening lines of this country's Declaration of Independence. Yet the society that we live in constantly allows people to be discriminated against and restricted from certain opportunities based on their identity. Whether it be someone's race, sexual orientation, gender, religion or any other minority group. This country has a long history of injustice towards people due to a certain group of people that they belong to. This country has made progress towards equality for all, but there is much more to be done to make this country a place where all men are truly created equal.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Black = Criminal


Black men are much more likely to be arrested for drug usage compared to white men although their usage is roughly the same. Racism is still very alive in this country and the aftermath of discrimination and racism is still affecting lives today. A survey reported that white Americans over estimated the proportion of some crimes committed by people of color as high as 20%-30%. Although crime is disproportionately high in minority neighborhoods it is not because of their race but because of the effects that poverty has on one's behavior. Of course someone is more likely to steal or sell drugs if they live in a neighborhood where there are poor schools and fewer job opportunities. These residential patterns are not in place simply because people want to live in poverty stricken neighborhoods. They are a result of years of discriminatory housing and employment systems. Can we expect someone to abide by laws when there are put in such a situation. To make matters worse police presence is disproportionately white relative to the local population. These people are put under circumstances that persuade them to commit crimes and are being punished by people who see them all as criminals. How is it that people get away with murder in this country and justify their crimes by saying that the black person they killed was going to hurt them. Associating black people with criminals has lead to the wrongful death of many young black men by white men. There needs to be action taken to bring more colored people into the police force and hold those who use racist stereotypes to justify their crimes accountable for their crimes.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Scandal In Gay Rights Movement May Hurt The Cause

Gay Does Not Mean Pedophile

Terrance Patrick Bean is the co-founder of the Human Rights Campaign, the world's largest, wealthiest, most powerful anti-Christian pro-homosexual organization. HRC was founded to push the homosexual political agenda and Bean is one of the most influential figures in gay right. It has come out that he has been arrested and charged with a felony for allegedly sodomizing a 15 year old boy. About two years ago 68 year old Larry Brinkin, another high profile gay rights activist,was arrested for possessing an distributing reams of child pornography. These scandals within the gay community will negatively effect the progression of their fight for equal rights. There is no doubt that what these men have done to these young boys is absolutely disgusting but should the whole gay community have to pay for the sick decisions of a few bad apples? These type of incidents have the power to sway people to be totally against this movement. People tend to over generalize and these kinds of stories leave a bad taste in people's mouths about gay people. Just because there are some sick people who target young innocent boys does not mean that all gay men deserve to pay the price. Those who do nothing wrong should not be punished for loving someone of the same sex. Just because there are some men who prey on children does not mean that other men who are homosexual should not have the same rights as others. I hope that one day we can move past all of the discrimination and inequality that is so prevalent in our society.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

How Racism Stole Black Childhood


Young people make stupid decisions, but being young and irresponsible does not have the same consequences  for all people. When you are white wealthy and well connected you can get yourself out of almost any predicament. But when you are poor and black you are more likely to be arrested and cannot even afford a lawyer. These disadvantages have cause white people to get away with many crimes including those that were committed on the basis of racism. Black and white youth use marijuana at about the same rate but black youths are four times as likely to be arrested for it. Black men are usually associated with being criminals and in our society being a poor young black man is the equivalency of being guilty of something. For example, a young black unarmed teenager was gunned down by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, Immediately the authorities released a video of Brown allegedly robbing a store and reported he had marijuana in his system. No matter what crimes Brown had committed the authorities made it seem as if Brown was a criminal and deserved what came to him. These social stereotypes allow for young men like Michael Brown to be wrongfully punished just for being a black man. Meanwhile white youths who commit similar and in some cases worse crimes get a simple warning or maybe some community service. Why is it that we give our white youths a chance to redeem themselves after committing crimes but black youths are associated with criminals and get less  leniency when it comes to committing crimes. Would Michael Brown have been gunned down by the police officer if he were white? Or was it because the police officer saw a black man and automatically considered him a threat and a criminal and felt he had no other choice but to gun him down?

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Corbett v Wolf



On November 4, 2014 voters will take to the polls to vote for midterm elections. During mid term elections there is a low voter turn out. This means that an underdog could win the election simply because those people who show up to the polls are his supporters. This is exactly why President Obama campaigned for Tom Wolf and Governor Chris Christie campaigned for Tom Corbett. They endorsed the candidates campaigns to gain the support of their faithful followers and also to attract attention to the election and get voters to come out. During their speeches especially during Obama's they stressed the idea that people need to come to the polls and vote. A lot of people these days don't realize the importance of voting, especially for an election whose results would most directly impact them. I remember trying to convince someone to go out and vote in this election and they responded back to me I only vote in important elections like the president. I was so disappointed at their ignorance. Do people not realize that their governor more directly affects their daily lives than your president. This is exactly why communities are not being represented by their leaders. If people would actually come out and vote they could help change policies that affect them in their communities. Many people have issues with the way things are being run in their communities but do nothing to change these conditions. By showing up to the polls people can chose a leader that would represent them and be more proactive about issues that they care about. There needs to be some  type of change in the minds of people who do not show up to polls. We can only change policy if we change the way people think.


Sunday, November 2, 2014

Urban Education

Educators Address Racial Inequality  by Erica Smith October 30, 2014.


Segregated schools have been outlawed but is there really racial equality in respects to the quality of an education? A symposium was held in St. Louis titled Michael Brown vs The Board of Education to discuss racial injustice in educational systems. The resources provided to Hispanic and African American students are inferior to others. “Black students in particular are four times more likely to have under certified or unprepared teachers.” Why is it that we are giving less to those students who need more? Most often teachers come from middle class white families from the suburbs. Putting them in a classroom with urban minorities causes a culture clash. These teachers do not have the experience to properly interact with let alone teach these students. Due to these differences teachers and students often do not see eye to eye and students are more likely to act out. This may be why “black and brown students are disproportionately sent to the principle office.” Cultural competency and sensitivity should be incorporated into professional development in order to help with this issue. Not only are minority students given less experienced teachers they are also given lower quality curriculum. Teachers tend to dumb down classes because they do not think that the students can handle it. Students who are advanced are bored due to this remediation. The parent of a child holds a great responsibility in respects to ensuring that the child is motivated and has the resources to succeed in school. The child also holds responsibility to go to learn, come to school and behave. With that being said it is the responsibility of the educators to create an environment in which students actually want to learn. All students deserve to have experienced teachers, learning materials, and advanced courses provided to them.All of these issues are going to be discussed at the symposium. The fact is that students at predominately African American and Hispanic schools do not receive the same quality of an education as a white child from the suburbs. This is a form of segregation and it is not right. I am sure that if nothing is done to help improve education in urban areas it will become an even more major issue of public policy.