Who said he ever was? When I think of a king, I think of a man sitting in an engulfing chair with a purple, velvet robe on and topped off with a sparkling crown. Martin Luther King Jr. was never one to have this image, simply because he was one of the people. He walked, talked and agreed with them. He had the same vision as many others living in America, the only difference was that he knew how to gather a crowd, and then how to continue their passionate ideas. Being a preacher, King knew how to reach out to people and relate to them. He spoke his vision of peace, integration and equality: others responded quite well to his tactics. With the help of sit-ins and peace marches, King helped change America forever.
Now, because of King's and his followers' efforts, the world is a different place. We are legally allowed to sit next to someone that looks completely different from us, and we can legally talk to whomever we please. Although an amazing transformation has taken place, not everyone has taken the messages spewed by King in the same way. Some have branched off and took King's message as an excuse to promote their own "kind", while others have truly worked to get rid of all prejudice present in society. Personally, I believe that King's message was meant to be taken in the latter direction. By equality, I believe that King didn't want race to even be a quality looked upon and judged by others. He recognized that one's skin color is simply a pigment of their skin... if he didn't he wouldn't have given his life for equality and fair treatment of all.
When I get on the subject of equality, I think of certain government programs (such as Affirmative Action) that completely dismiss King's message. I understand why the program was implemented, and I believe that it was a crucial, and helpful, program that helped level the playing field for all races and schools. Although it was an extremely useful program, I believe that with the continued implementation of programs such as this, people will still have the notion in their mind that minorities do need the extra help in order to achieve the same as White people. This seems absolutely ridiculous to me. Yes, I understand that the majority of people living in poverty are minorities, but there is such a large percentage of poverty-stricken people that are white, that programs such as these should be altered and updated. I believe that Affirmative Action promotes racism by simply making race a current subject of conversation. I understand that race will always be differentiated, but to a new born baby, there should be nothing (government policies, especially) that confirm that there is truly a mental disadvantage if one is a minority and of a different skin color. Although this is not the direct effect of these types of programs, implications are assumed, and peoples' beliefs are swayed.
School success is directly related to socio-economic status. Race is not directly related to socio-economic status. Thus, race is not directly related to school success. Because this is the case, and it's socially wrong to say otherwise if you think about it, these government implemented policies should be updated and thought out again. Why can't every person be judged individually, seeing as everyone is an individual? This is where my questioning begins. Yes, I realize that analyzing and digging deep into one's personal life is costly, but I believe that it's a cost that the government should take on. What's more important that bringing up our future the way they should be brought up? Certain environments are for all people, and if certain scores don't qualify, I don't believe there should be any type of government rule that says a private institution has to admit someone. That situation could cost society more than it realizes in the long run; it definitely costs the institution more than it wants to pay.
I understand this is a very touchy and emotional problem that we are forced to face in society, but I believe it is a worthwhile conversation to be had. By talking about future solutions, we will eventually come up with one. Please don't take anything I say as an offensive statement, because that's not how I'm trying to come off. I believe that everyone deserves an equal chance, even though I do not personally think that's possible, I believe in finding a way that can bring us closest to a solution.
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