There has been much talk about the Black Lives Matter movement and the activities surrounding this. Some people are denying that racism exists in this country today. Some are saying that it has nothing to do with them and the way that they conduct their lives. Some are using this movement for their own agendas so that the real message is lost in the chaos. Some are looking the other way and taking the attitude of it is not of their concern.
Regardless of what your stance is racism affects all of us. Even if you are not a person of color it does impact your life.
This country has a long history of treating people of color as second-class citizens based only on the color of their skin. We do not seem to learn from our mistakes so the same patterns continue to be repeated.
None of us were given the choice of the skin color that we were born with, so think for a moment what it must feel like to have something that has nothing to do with the kind of person that you have become used as a reason to mistreat you. Being a white woman, I do not know what racism feels like. But I do know that it is real and that it has been embedded in our culture for far to long.
So the next time you here someone complaining above racism try asking yourself this, am I a part of the solution or the problem? Sitting back and doing nothing is the same as condoning that racism. Racism is real and it takes everyone doing their part to change the mindset of others. Our children are watching everything that we do and say, so our actions do have an effect on the next generation.
I do not claim to have all of the answers on how to stop racism. What I do know is it takes everyone making a personal choice to examine their own attitudes toward racism, to start the process of change. If we all sit back and do nothing then history will repeat itself yet again.
Carol Olsen-Whitney
Marysville
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