Reflection+on+Our+Racial+Soul

In America, we have made great strides when it comes to our race relations. We have moved through movements of passion such as the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights Movement, and we have accomplished a great deal. We have taken several steps forward toward becoming a nation that can have stable race relations. However, while moving forward, it is hard to forget the past. Even though we have accomplished so much, we have struggled as well. We cannot ignore the ghost of our past. Time cannot heal all wounds. We cannot always just forgive and forget. I agree with what deTocqueville says about our problem with race and that no matter what, it may be difficult to achieve racial equality in our country. I think that even though it took us strength and compromise to achieve the laws that eventually shape our legal system today, we still need to change our mores. I somewhat agree with the distinction that de Tocqueville states that our laws can always change if the society calls for it, yet our mores, how we react to the laws and interpret them will never be able to be broken. However, I think that we can break through and change our mores. We are chained down by our mores, but we can move past them. There is hope for the future. In order for us to achieve the future we desire for ourselves and the next generation, we need to make strides not only in our economic barriers and leaders in our country, but in our behavior about race from both sides of the spectrum both blacks and whites. Today, I have hope that we can change. I don’t want to sound like a Barack Obama ad, but I do believe that those ideals and Barack Obama himself will be able to help our country and prove deTocqueville wrong. With our new President-Elect, we have a momentous opportunity. However, I don’t want this opportunity to go to waste because we are on the cusp of a revolution. Barack Obama can make many economic issues between blacks and whites go away if he really tried to provide housing and better education for every race. However, what really will change our country in the future is through our behavior and comfort in talking about race. We can make many momentous strides in our government in terms of the numbers of African American Senators, Representatives, Governors, or Judges we have, but we will only change if we are able to change the way we //think //  about having African American elected officials and how we //think //  about our somewhat segregated neighborhoods, cities, and country.

American Beauty