HOME OPINION Opinion America has come a long way, but segregation still remains

America has come a long way, but segregation still remains

Written by Nelson Onyango, The Shorthorn columnist

Tuesday, 27 October 2009 04:18 PM

My summer roommate was one great black guy. Slow on his feet but to compensate for that, he had a quick mouth. And an impressive and smart one at that. He talked a lot, and skillfully spun his words like a wordsmith … until one night he asked me to join him in watching the BET Awards show. I obliged, and during the show I asked him a simple question. For the first time ever, he was tongue-tied, dry-lipped and at a loss for words. He scratched his head, cracked his knuckles and yawned. No answer. A few mumbles, clicks, sneers and he changed the topic. My question: “What would you think of White Entertainment Television in response to BET, would it be a fair call? Quid pro quo?” He never answered and so I suspended the thought, until last week when I saw another poster with the same colored connotation to it— Black Student Nurses Association. It hit me again, it is not all gone. The xenophobia that once made America the object of jokes and criticism is not gone. The wounds have healed but the scars have not gone, people may have forgiven, but certainly have not forgotten. And that is problematic. I am not any bit white, not at all, not even close. In fact, on a scale of one to ten, I would not fit. I am far blacker than that scale. But, the allowed segregation of people based on color irritates me. Why so? Coming from a developing country, whose diversity is far less compared to the U.S., I have seen the effects of xenophobia on the fabric of society, true growth and interdependence. It starts as a simple association, grows into a pseudo-cultic brotherhood and the next thing you know, tears, blood and sweat. Having said that, I wonder what the reaction would be if I were to start a White Students Nursing Association. Sounds fair? While it may seem preposterous to sound so negative and blunt, I took a sober moment of truth to think about the hullabaloo, pubescent tantrums and crocodile tears that would be thrown and shed if such a thing were to happen. History books would be open, fingers would be pointed and names called, all in a bid to justify something that in the true and honest sense of judgment, is not fair and not pro the equality and freedom that the U.S. is envied for. Mistakes were made in the past, that much is common knowledge, no doubt. But will we let the chains of xenophobia and the quandary of the past hold us back? I hope not, for if we continue in this black versus white rush for correctness and justification, we will continue creating more gray areas than ever. Nelson Onyango is a biology freshman and a columnist for The Shorthorn Views: 547 | E-mail   Comments (1)  1  Written by Kenny Jacobs, on 10-28-2009 08:59 You sir actually deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.    Finally someone that GETS IT!    Lulac, NAACP, KKK - All the same. We will never be equal until we act equal. If we create a group because we think we are better than another race we add fuel to the fire. If we create a group because we think our race is disadvantaged to another we add fuel to the fire.    If you honestly want to end racism and bigotry in this country you will denounce organizations like lucac, naacp and the kkk.    I hope to meet the author of this article some day. I would like to shake his hand. This is by far the most honest, straight forward & passionate article I've ever read in the shorthorn. Report Abuse Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com All right reserved

Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 January 2010 01:41 PM )

 

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