The Right for Equality
Nearly everything that happens in the world will boil down to equality, which is a necessity as basic as oxygen.
Future President,
Martin Luther King Jr. once said,“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Equality is the most important issue America faces today because beliefs and appearance should not be held against someone, and the U.S.’s citizens’ everyday lives are being changed by the lack of equality. The United States of America was founded on equality, and yet people who look and think differently have become targets. On June 12, 2016, there was a shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. This was an act of hate against the LGBT+ community. It was also one of the most deadly mass shootings in America. Police brutality is also usually targeted toward the smaller community of African Americans. In fact, thirty percent of the killed black people were unarmed, and ninety seven percent of officers who shot a black person were not convicted, or even charged, of a crime.
People’s everyday lives are being changed by something as little as their skin color or religion. Like mentioned in the above paragraph, minorities have been falsely thought to be dangerous. That means, statistically, if someone is not Caucasian or Christian, they have a higher chance of being attacked, harassed, or bullied. (And not just bullied at school, adults bully each other too.) So if someone is not part of that sixty three percent, unnecessary prejudices may be held against them in a court of law, school, work and work interviews, and even restaurants and shops
Not everyone is hateful and impartial to other races, so why should this matter? This matters because that forty percent of the population are your co-workers, friends, teachers, leaders, extended family, and neighbors. And no, not every Caucasian is a member of the KKK. It is the obligation of teachers, parents, and peers who believes in equality to educate the lesser minded.
All in all, this country is a great place that believes in freedom, but help is needed to educate the less knowing and push forward, without the restraints of racism, misogyny, and homophobia.
"Police Have Killed at Least 234 Black People in the U.S. in 2016." Mapping Police Violence. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2016.