What we Fought so Hard Against

     On Dec.3, at a South Philadelphia High school an angry mob of mostly African American students walked through the halls and even entered classrooms to inflict pain upon Asian students. The mob of about 70 students stormed the cafeteria to find more Asian students, where several were beaten. The violence seems to have been fueled by jealousy and racial hatred of the Asian immigrants. The Asian immigrant students have the second floor of the school dedicated to language programs to help them and to provide a more welcoming environment. The black youth in the community feel a sense of unimportance and lack of respect in a neighborhood of primarily Irish and Italian immigrants. The African American students look at their own situation and believe as if they aren’t cared about and they certainly hold an unconscious resentment towards the Asian Immigrants when they witness them studying on their “special” second floor. Mix these negative feelings with a small group of troublemakers that live by a “Gangsta” mentality and only want to take advantage of others who have less than themselves and you begin to have violent hate crimes. After Dec.3, a dozen students were expelled and the Asian students also began their own boycott from the school. Although the boycotters were skeptical at first, the boycott changed attitudes and allowed voices to be heard. The district placed 126 security cameras at the school and introduced a “50-50”, in which Asian and black students go out on group outings to improve their relationships with each other. In conclusion, Otis Hackney was also hired as the new principal for this year and said something very essential, “As African Americans, we can’t forget our own struggle to the point that we become what we fought so hard against.” 

Washington, Jesse. "Racial Violence Changes Student _ and School." Washingtonpost.com - Nation, World, Technology and Washington Area News and Headlines. 05 Sept. 2010. Web. 10 Sept. 2010. .

Trapped In The Past

     "The past is not dead and buried. In fact is not even the past." (Faulkner) President Obama quoted William Faulkner in the speech "A More Perfect Union" to strengthen his call of the perfection. He also made the American people aware that we are still negatively connected to our past through the oppression of slavery and Jim Crow laws. He issued challenges to Americans to cut internal division and to move on from the past. If we are to cut internal division we must realize we are all here to make something of ourselves in this country and  must focus on the similarities that we share  common dreams, values, and hopes. To move forward from the past African Americans cannot allow themselves to hold any resentment towards Caucasian Americans as a result of slavery and Jim Crow. As African Americans we must take the challenge issued to us to unite all people of this nation. If we refuse to answer our challenge than the past will indeed not be dead and buried. In fact it will not even be the past.

Obama,Barack "A More Perfect Union" National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 18, 2008, Speech