Racism is still present today, even most who would not consider themselves raciest have used some sort of raciest remark or gesture. Racism does not only affect a person with more or less melanin, but also those of a different creed or religion. Many people use everyday slang which contains some sort of derogatory meaning. With the ongoing effort of individuals as well as organizations most hope that our home, our planet, will progress into the all accepting society that is has the potential to become.
This poem has made me contemplate all that our country is, and the right to a fair and equal life that we all deserve. With the giant steps we have taken over the past century, I know that we are on the right track. People must realize that we are all the same, except for the melanin concentration in our skin. In fact it has been recently proven through DNA science that a person of African decent in America is more closely related to a Caucasian in America then another African-American. I found this to be amazing and proof of just how close we all our.
I am as well as everyone that I know, are guilty of making prejudgments on people without even knowing a thing about them. Whether it is the clothes one wears or the parlance they use, all of use have thought a certain way about a person just from that first impression. This is not a just an American characteristic, in fact in England one could be thought of as smarter and even better looking if they were to use the Queens English, also refereed to as BBC English or Public School English.
This piece as well as most of Hughes’s works deals with real life issues. Being of African decent himself and growing up in the early-mid ninety’s, Mr. Hughes himself dealt with plenty of racism, prejudice and I’m sure was prejudged more often then not. He overcame so much to become so successful that his work as well as his life should be motivation for everyone.
