Ben Carson - Created Equal: The Painful Past, Confusing Present, and Hopeful Future of Race in America

By Dr. Alveda King

A LMOST ANYONE ACROSS THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM from the far left to the far right would probably agree with you that our country is in serious trouble and the divisiveness threatens not only peace, but our very existence. One of the areas of contention surrounds the concept of racial relationships.

This topic has taken center stage and serves as a linchpin for the argument that America is and always has been a racist nation.

As a result, we find ourselves in a situation where race is injected into an enormous number of our conversations. If not challenged, this premise of racial division fuels the easyand wrongconclusion that America is the worst place for Blacks and other minorities to live.

It is very disturbing that Black youth are being taught that they are inherently disadvantaged in our society and that no matter how hard they work these disadvantages will persist and preclude the realization of their potential. Equally as harmful is the pernicious indoctrination of white students, who are being taught to feel guilty about racially motivated injustices perpetrated by their ancestors. It is hard to imagine how teaching our children these divisive concepts can lead to a fairer and more peaceful society.

Yet, all hope is not lost. I have seen tremendous positive changes in our society during my lifetime. My uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was a prophet and a preacher. Quoting from the Scripture in Acts 17:2628, MLK acknowledged that God created one blood/one human race. He said: What Im saying today is that we must go from this convention and say, America, you must be born again! Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout, White Power! When nobody will shout, Black Power! but everybody will talk about Gods power and human power.

After his death, MLK, notably as either a most loved or most hated public figure, became the first Black American after whom a national holiday was named. Its hard to imagine how that would happen in a systemically racist nation.

Yet this is not to say that we have not experienced severe racism in America during just this last century. We also cannot deny that racist principles have been inserted into our building blocks. For me, this reality marks a wheat and tares situation that must be weeded out with faith, hope, love, integrity, and intelligencein every generation and every decade.

As William Cullen Bryant said, Truth crushed to earth shall rise again. While this quote is credited to Cullen Bryant, and remains an inspiration to many, we may agree that Jesus says it best: If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:3132 ESV).

Through the years here in America, we have witnessed and, in some cases, experienced situations where Black people were relegated to the back of the bus or to separate railway cars and such treatment was enforced by legal authorities. Such practices have been tares in the foundations of our history.

Many have seen and, in some cases, experienced numerous situations where public and private services were refused for Black customers. We have seen and, in some cases, are still experiencing unfair lending practices and housing discrimination and segregation that has been enforced by unscrupulous legal authorities. While the list goes on and on, these are inherent tares in our system that can and must be weeded out.

Rather than dwell on these tares and complain about how unfair they were, and, in some cases, still are, we must build on the truth that many of these injustices have been largely defeated and relegated to the dustbins of history. In acknowledging the defeat of many racist policies in America, we must remember the lessons that have been learned: the good, the bad, and the ugly.