From: Greg Dinkins
Columbus
I want to thank the community for having a Black History Month and their efforts to educate people on the struggles people of color have gone through. I feel fortunate to live in Columbus. From the days of Mr. Irwin Miller and his leadership in the 1950s and 1960s, Columbus has been a leader in an “inclusive” community. I was raised by my parents understanding that all people were equal. No matter what race, color or creed. All people are created equal and should be treated as such.
In our nation today, this has not been the case. It is a shame that our nation has not come together to recognize “equality” for all is what God intended and the founders of our great country wanted and intended. We need to continue efforts to make this ideal a realism. Our Black History Month celebration is a step in the right direction.
I have lived in both Atlanta, Georgia and Tupelo, Mississippi. In both cities, I found racism that I neither understood nor could fathom. I overheard talk about meetings of “the Klan”. In Tupelo, I experienced Black people actually stepping off the sidewalk when I approached them. (I always stepped off the sidewalk and introduced myself and shook their hand.) This was not looked on kindly by the “older” white residents. Some actually pulled me aside and told me, “We don’t do that ‘down here’.” I did find in both Southern cities that the younger generation were a lot more open to accepting all people as equal.
I know of the suffering different races that, especially blacks, have gone through. While I know of it, I can’t imagine the pain they have incurred. My knowledge of their experiences have come from movies, books and making friends with them. I encourage everyone to learn more about what our friends and neighbors (and their relatives) have gone through on their journey of life to what it is today.
The unfortunate thing is that no matter how we all try, we cannot prevent the existence of some people that just don’t feel the way the vast majority of the United States feels. That all are created equal.
