Established in 1892, the Ashburn Colored School was one of the first schools to offer education to blacks during the height of segregation. Nearly six decades later, it still stands in northern Virginia and has been converted into a museum by local students. The schoolhouse serves as a solemn reminder of hope and the evils of segregation that plagued and continue to plague the black community. This past weekend, vandals spray painted swastikas, drawings of genitals, and derogatory messages on the school's walls. Loudoun Count Sherriff Mike Chapman has begun an investigation to track down the vandals, after stating that there would be a zero-tolerance policy for the acts.
Hate crimes similar to this are no new occurrence in our society, despite how far we seem to have progressed as a nation. People who claim that racism doesn't exist anymore are sorely mistaken. Black people are still enslaved by the chains of poverty, systematic oppression, and the age-old precept that they are worth less than the race that once owned them. Racism is still alive. Slavery is still real. Hate is still thriving. Acts like this perpetuate all of those realities. This happening can be synthesized to the terrorist acts of the Ku Klux Klan, an organization that is still alive today. At their peak in the 1920s and forward, the KKK performed similar crimes, with the added terrorizing and killing of blacks. These crimes are always shrouded in anonymity, but whether you hide your identity with a white cape or the security of the night, they all tie back to the same ugly hatred.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/02/us/virginia-black-school-vandalism/index.html
Well written. I totally agree that no matter how one commits their hatred, it is all the same and I just wish everyone could drink a Cola and live in harmony.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with you. It's crazy that without social media we may not know as much about the grievances against people of color.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and the previous comments. I really believe more should be done about the racial issues going on in America today.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you! I love the way you worded your opinion as well, I just hope the police find who did it and they get what they deserve.
ReplyDeletePeople like this need to be held accountable for their actions. This type of hateful thinking is what leads to violence towards people we think aren't like us. The only way to avoid this vicious cycle is to teach tolerance and understanding from a young age.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that even though Black people aren't considered lesser by the government anymore, poverty, systematic disenfranchisement, and lack of access to job opportunities keep racism alive in this country.
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