It’s really no wonder that I don’t feel like a 33-year-old.
The world is not how I envisioned it as a child. I’m not talking about the
disappointment regarding the fact that we still
don’t have flying cars. No, I’m talking about the fact that the history I
read about in school is actually still reality.
When Hilary Clinton was running for a spot at presidential
candidacy, I remember taking flak from my female friends because I was more
excited about the prospect of a black president. When Obama was elected, it
felt like a win. No, his skin color didn’t guarantee a good leader, but it
seemed to signify that we were getting past racial tensions—racial horrors—I
had studied in school.
Boy, was I wrong.
While on a camping trip with my family in August, I briefly
caught a glimpse of riots on a Wendy’s TV screen and later learned about the
tragedy in Ferguson, Mo. I thought it would fade. But the rioting continued for
quite a while.
Then recently when the police officer was not convicted and
riots broke out all over the country ... it baffles me. It saddens me. Didn’t
we learn anything from history? Where I know I am getting it wrong is in the
day-to-day. You know, the real underlying reasons behind racial tension
America. I don’t know why it still exists.
America, we’re smart. Let’s figure this out. Is the solution
too simple for us to grasp?
I’m sure that part of the reason I don’t understand is
simple ignorance. Not that I’m a dummy (well, maybe I am), but I am a white
female who grew up in a mostly-white community. I don’t have any idea what it’s
like to be a minority. I don’t know how to remedy that except to love and to
pass love onto my children.
I pray that I see the day when the world is how I envisioned it as a child.
