Dear Future Presidential Candidate,

Do you understand how challenging it is to be a "minority"? It's quite an obstacle for us especially since we struggle to survive on a stolen land that was built off of slavery, racism, genocide, and oppression. We “minorities” have been getting the short end of the stick since we can remember. I am writing this letter to address these racial inequality issues.

Racism is based on the belief that physical characteristics account for differences in character and ability, and that a particular race is superior to another. Racial inequality today stems from people—specifically white people believing that they are above us “minorities”. When you’re white in America you are granted a certain privilege that us “minorities” are not able to enjoy.

I read on sks.sirs.com that About 24 percent of African Americans live in poverty, compared to 9 percent of whites. For black kids, poverty rates are near 40 percent, more than that of white children whose poverty rates are about 11 percent. The unemployment rate for African Americans (8.4 percent) is almost twice that of white Americans (4.4 percent). Black youth unemployment is at 19 percent, almost twice that of white youth unemployment which is 10 percent. Black men have a 1 in 3 lifetime probability of incarceration in the United States.

“Minorities” don't have it easy in America. People may think oppression and racism is old news, but we still face it everyday. Black families have different conversations about law enforcement than white people do. Fearing for your life and wondering if you’ll be another colored person shot dead just because you have on a hoodie should not be necessary at all. Police officers are supposed to be trustworthy people, they're supposed to keep us out of harm's way, I didn't know racially profiling people came along with their jobs too. According to huffingtonpost.com, U.S police have killed at least 194 people of color. That's 194 protests, 194 people being taken away from their families.

My question for you as the president is why have us “minorities” been getting the short end of the stick for so long? Why are we still being oppressed and will you do anything to fix these issues? This country is called the United States of America yet there's nothing united about this stolen land. There is a deep system of institutionalized racism in America, from everyday discrimination, to disproportionate incarceration, to senseless killings. Until Americans can recognize that white privilege does in fact exist, we will not be able to dialogue about race.

To fix these race issues, we need to start in our households, teach our families that everyone deserves to be treated as an equal. We should stop using the term “minority” to describe people who are not white. Calling someone a minority is almost like saying they are your inferior. More ways to improve would be to enact laws that ban all forms of discrimination of any kind in American public life. I am not saying all race issues can simply be solved with laws because racism is poisonous and stems from the heart. If we all learn to live together in harmony things may be more peaceful. We cannot ignore racism nor can we ignore privilege, things like this should be addressed and talked about so people can learn about these types of issues.

Sincerely,

A Tired “Minority”