Discrimination because 
of Skin Color

"I recognize that some people are discriminated against because of a lifestyle they have chosen, but to be discriminated against because of the color of one's skin is still, today, hard to swallow."

"when I look at African Americans who have been butchered, maimed, castrated, raped, murdered, tortured, and kidnapped in mind, body, soul, and religion, for over 400 years, I am sadden for my people and for him." 

"I see self-destruction because they have been conditioned not to identify with self, because they do not know who self is--their identity has been stolen from them and from their ancestors long ago."

" a lot of my people are still slaves in their minds, in their thinking, because they lack educational leadership due to prejudice, discrimination, and American racism."

Prejudice means prejudging without knowledge or examination of the available information. But what if you have the knowledge and information, and you know right from wrong, and whatever judgment you might have may be because your group practices hatred? Is that still prejudice?

I felt strange after sharing with my college class my experience growing up as an African American.  I noticed, as I shared that experience with my class that some in my class have never felt the sting of racism, discrimination, or prejudice of which they are aware.     

I recognize that some people are discriminated against because of a lifestyle they have chosen, but to be discriminated against because of the color of one's skin is still, today, hard to swallow. When watching a clip of the Rickey Lake Show, a homosexual man gave an emotional testimony of how he was beaten up and thrown into a garbage can because of the life style he chose.  I don't condone or condemn him--homosexuality is his choice--but when I look at African Americans who have been butchered, maimed, castrated, raped, murdered, tortured, and kidnapped in mind, body, soul, and religion, for over 400 years, I am sadden for my people and for him. 

I look at the condition of a race of 35 million people who now have children who have learned how to hate themselves because of the conditioning of their ancestors' slave-masters.  You see African Americans dying their hair different colors, changing their eye colors to feel accepted.  I see the conditioning of a people in which some have learned to hate themselves so much that they kill one another in drive-by shootings for matters that are not their own; I see the use of alcohol and other drugs to medicate their pain.  I see self-destruction because they have been conditioned not to identify with self, because they do not know who self is--their identity has been stolen from them and from their ancestors long ago.  Their heritages, their roots, were altered or erased by their captives to make them slaves.

And today, a lot of my people are still slaves in their minds, in their thinking, because they lack educational leadership due to prejudice, discrimination, and American racism.  But those of us who have a higher education of ourselves are trying to bring back knowledge into the schools.

Sadly, prejudice and discrimination are always present in some form or another in America because of white supremacy that still is alive and well.  It is seen from the White House to the media, from billboards signs to Pamper commercials; it is seen on a daily basis.   Discrimination is practiced in the ownership of big business, sport teams, radio stations, television stations, utility companies, clothing companies, banks, etc.  There's a lot of discrimination going around, I am sad to say. But if it's just my color, excuse me, why not just cover up? []

[Frank Williams is a young Black male who is a college student and a Certified Counselor. He works full time and he goes to college.]