Together We Can Erase Racism

The America we know today is one that was built on foundations of racism, discrimination, and white privilege. The racial disparity that continues to exist today is a result of the racist policies put into place before the civil rights movement that still live on to this day. Teaching about racism and the racist policies that our country was built upon to children starting at the elementary level is crucial to ensuring the next generations are educated on the real history of our country. Teaching students about the slavery that occurred right here on Long Island and using examples such as the housing discrimination in Levittown and how red-lining was a disgracefully common practice in our own backyards, will help students realize how much discrimination effects the futures of people of color. If we don't start using concrete examples of the racism that is still very present here on Long Island, the next generations will never understand how pressing the obstacle is or have the drive to change what is deteriorating our society today. In order to see change in our own communities, we must empower the next generations to use their powerful voices and speak up against the racial injustices still faced by people of color today.

There were many instances in American history where people of color were put at a direct disadvantage, while their white counterparts were left without consequence. I was never taught about how the war on drugs strengthened police presence in low-income communities and inner cities, predominantly occupied by people of color, resulting in a disproportionate percentage of Black and Latino men in jail for minor drug charges. If it weren't for the documentary "13th", I would've never known that the 13th amendment allows prisons to enslave prisoners to do hard labor for private companies. This all ties back to the war on drugs during the Reagan era and makes me question the true purpose. Was it a war on drugs or a war on race?

Closer to home, driving on the Robert E. Moses Causeway and seeing the low bridges reminds me of the cruel intentions of architects to keep public buses coming from inner cities filled with minorities from coming to Long Island. Crossing over from Garden City to Hempstead, I am reminded of the imaginary line created by racist property owners and politicians in the 1900s that created a segregated Long Island, even when segregation was deemed "illegal".

Learning about Long Island's history of racism and racial discrimination in all aspects including housing, work, and schools, will allow students to correlate the struggles faced by their peers to the land they occupy today. My hope is that as we continue to use our voices and advocate for the just treatment of all people in this nation, the generations that follow will grow more passionate, vocal, and aware of the foundations our country was built on. We, as a society, can erase racism and rewrite the story of racial equality in America.