Let's Pretend That Racism No Longer Exists....

C'mon, let's do that....let's just pretend that racism no longer exists. Isn't that what society is doing right now?

We have a black President, so there's no way we can still complain about racism.

Are you kidding me? Are we on the same planet?

Incidents such as the Santa Monica noose incident demonstrate clearly that racism is still very prevalent in society today. Now, we just want to cover it up and pretend that people don't have hatred in their hearts for others. Is this not worse than the actual offense itself?

I seem to experience racism on a fairly regular basis. It is subtle and comes from plain ignorance, but it is clear that we are not THAT  far from the shackles of slavery.

In talking to other white professionals, I often get, "Oh, I don't even think of you as black."
Do these people think this is a compliment to me? No......the heck it isn't, because I AM black and don't want it any other way. I don't want them to pretend I am any thing else, just so that they can feel comfortable. Just because I don't fit their negative stereotypes of blacks, this does not make me less black!

When I first arrived in the USA, I moved to New York City. Fresh from the U.K, my accent was very thick. I was a teacher by trade and so I called many, many schools in Manhattan to enquire about teaching positions. There was one particularly elite school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that showed a great deal of interest in me. I was given a lengthy phone interview and then called in for an "in-person" interview. Upon arriving at the school, the receptionist went to get the person who would be interviewing me. She came down the stairs and looked at me with total disdain. "Are you sure, you are Angela Sandford?" she asked me.
Urrr....actually, no. My real name is Halle Berry but I'm just posing as Angela Sandford today! I didn't say that, but a similar thought crossed my mind.
She then proceeded to say, "Well, it's just that I didn't think you would look like that?"   WHAT?
She then proceeded to show me a classroom and then thanked me for coming. She didn't even bother to interview me. It was clear that she assumed I was white on the phone because I had an English accent.

The reality is how we as blacks are viewed by white society has changed very little. We are still viewed as "loud," "savages," "uncivilized" and worthy of nothing. If we don't fit this mold it makes others uncomfortable. It even makes our fellow blacks uncomfortable as they are quick to tell us that we have "sold-out."

The incident that arose in Santa Monica shows that there are people out there today who would still like to have blacks enslaved, whipped and hung from trees. This may not be the way of the world but this desire has clearly not died in some poeple's hearts.

There is NO SUCH thing as post-racial America! There is just a cover-up of racism that many want to pretend just isn't there.......BUT IT IS!

Educate, Advocate, Reciprocate

Empowerment......that in itself is a powerful word. It can mean many things to different people. It is important to believe strongly in however you define the word AND how it applies to you.

According to Merriam-Websters Dictionary, empowerment is defined as:
1) to give official authority or legal power to
2) enable
3) to promote the self-actualization or influence of

So.....what empowers me?

Helping others empowers me. To be able to give back in ANY way to another living thing is empowering to me. I know that for me to be where I am today, others worked hard to empower me. So, my dream is to then create or continue the chain reaction and empower others. I hope and pray the chain reaction keeps going (almost like a domino effect) and hopefully throughout many lifetimes, long after I'm dead and gone, many, many lives can be changed for the better.

You know what else empowers me.......is doing and achieving things that seemed like a dream or fantasy to me at one point in my life. For example, I ran the New York City marathon. I NEVER  in a million years would have thought that I could do this. I had never really ran before until 6 months before the actual day. In my head, there was NO WAY that my body was going to be dragged 26.2 miles around New York. But you know what, IT DID! Now, it wasn't plain sailing by any stretch of the imagination! There were moments throughout my entire run that I wanted to stop and sit on the side of the road. I even contemplated jumping off th 59th Street bridge (approx. halfway through the 26 miles). I wasn't sure that I could do it. Something deep inside me, willed me to just take one more step, and then another......and then another before I was back on track.

I still can't believe I did it. But after I finished it, I told myself that I could do anything that I put my mind to......ANYTHING!

I think half the battle of being empowered is actually BELIEVING that you can achieve what you want to achieve. It is probably the hardest part of the battle. But once you overcome this hurdle, the world is truly your oyster.

My wish is that everyone can be empowered to do and achieve the things they want to.

And as Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."

Be EMPOWERED to be all that you dreamed.......and more!