"All men are created equal" when it was written meaning all Christian White Male Landowners were given some basic rights. This nation may have been built on good intent but was sown with fear of the different and unknown. One major problem with this company of revolutionary colonists was they saw the errors of the English realm and decided to go further back to other more flawed institutions as role models to begin their new 'free' country.
We coin ourselves the home of the brave because of our men and women who sign up to fight for the freedom of this country which is all true but we are still living in a country where a large percent of the population would define "all men are created equal" the same as their ancestors did 300 years ago.
Legally this country has had strides, not near as quick as our european counterparts but strides none the less. It has been 50 years since a very important man stood up against the powers at be for freedom for people like himself. He was a great man with a just cause but I believe its time for someone to fight for our country as a whole.
Every day we see the results of fear, ignorance and swollen pride mixed with self made power. When are we as a people going to stand together and put into reality this dream of equality? Yes we have laws ensuring equality of places to live, work, eat and enjoy with all people alike and not. Even more slowly this government is passing rights on equality of loving others and freedom for our bodies. Progress is being made but not fast enough.
This bugs me on several levels. Firstly as a human being I believe everyone should have the right to do as they wish as long as it doesn't harm others especially behind closed doors. When people are in public they need to display understanding for others and work toward acceptance. This may be asking alot of citizens and visitors alike but in todays age of 'easy access knowledge' and our self proclaimed mixing pot of cultures tolerance is not enough. Secondly as a mother I don't want my daughter or my step son to interact with children who have been taught to think down to others. I would not wish them to be judged on coming from mixed families and am I not teaching them to treat anyone differently.
In making sure this is possible there are simple steps everyone can take that don't require huge life changes. Awareness is the first in making the next generation better people so we can be proud of the coming citizens. We as parents cannot be over protective and try to shelter our children from everything we deem unnecessary, risky and or different. We need to set the example of being culturally aware and involve ourselves into as many different points of view as possible. Not necessarily to change current beliefs but to appreciate the existence of others around us.
