Race

I would like to add a bit to the discussion the class had on Thursday. I believe IN SOME CASES, African American use racism as an excuse. If we look back at the civil rights movement, some of the greatest accomplishments of African Americans took place in that time period. In a period where the oppression was at its peak. I feel if you give 100% you get 100% no matter the odds. Saying "Its because im black" does not apply to the overall success to life. If anything African Americans have lost the unity we once had. We have become jealous of those who choose to step out and take risk. Im sure the black students in our class has had someone treat them differently just because he or she is in college. For instance, I HAD a best friend since the 1st grade who just recently told me I was acting "stuck up". He told me since I enrolled in college I act like I'm better than him. In all reality, I was still the same down to earth guy I was when we first met. He sees my life advancing while he is at a stand still. Instead of giving encouragement or even feeding off of my drive to succeed, he tries to bring me down. This even goes for my family members and complete strangers. All of color. While racism is still alive, it has not and will not prevent me from achieving what ever I set my sights on. With that being said, at the end of the day we are all human. White black orange green it does not matter. Everyone is on this earth trying to reach their purpose and dreams. Being on the U of M campus has really shown me that people of all races CAN get along. Not that long ago, I would not be able to sit next to a white person on a college campus. It has progressed tremendously. Overall, we have to stop using race as an excuse of failure, and we should give ourselves a little bit more credit on the progression we have made over the years in the area of getting along. We are all completely equal.