Oppression has many forms. Sadly, it has endured throughout the ages, especially in America.
So, what constitutes oppression? According to Merriam-Webster, oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel or unjust manner. The mistreatment of black people in American society proves to be an act that stunts the intellectual and social growth of people. Racism and other prejudices are not oppressive until they are put into law. When laws are in place that uphold the oppression of a people, much of the blame falls off the shoulders of the people of the country and onto the government.
Liberation has forced people to branch out in search of new territory, to assimilate and to fight. According to the Judicial Review, without a Constitution the law of nature states that certain rights or values are inherent in or universally cognizable by virtue of human reason or human nature, while common law is the legal tradition whereby certain rights or values are legally cognizable by virtue of judicial recognition or articulation.
When one is faced with a people or judicial branch that neither acknowledges nor seeks to protect the rights of a particular freedmen, what should ensue?
In order to acquire respect, freedom or proper representation a revolution should occur. In most instances, revolutionary individuals uproot themselves to become leading defenders for those that are misrepresented. It is no coincidence that these revolutionaries are confronted with opposition and often die fighting for a cause. In the case of blacks in America, this is a reoccurring theme.
White Americans developed a country that relied heavily on bound labor and the disenfranchisement of blacks, but through reform, whites were forced to acknowledge their counterparts and create a new society that incorporated the intermixing of the races. From the days of slavery to present day, economic and political opportunities have been hindered by oppression, stigmatization and the unwillingness of whites to accept blacks as their equals.
While the premises of the above argument may be true, some people may affirm that racism and other prejudices do not need to be put into law, but rather, racism and prejudices need individuals that are willing to uphold the ideologies of oppression to ensure its prevalence in society.
It has been argued that black people were not fit to be treated as equals. After all, whites conquered the arduous task of domesticating Africans and helping them assimilate into an enlightened culture. I do not personally feel that the oppression of any individual is morally right. In the case of black people, the oppression of this group has no inflection on enlightenment.
Before Africans were stolen and brought to America, they were rulers of African kingdoms. The three great African empires Ghana, Mali and Songhai were not constructed and operated by whites.
In conclusion, the oppression of a people is wrong. Oppression is accompanied by stigma, stereotypes and unjust treatment, all of which do not aid in the development of an individual or a group of people, but rather diminish their chances for success. At the end of the day, we all want to be successful.
Therefore, why should the color of one's skin determine his or her fate in the realm of freedom and success?
Ebony Washington is a College junior from Nashville, Tenn.
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