Roses are red, and Violets are blue,
I do not discriminate; why do you?
I see black and you see white,
But we shed the same color of blood.
We aren’t just African-American and Latin-American,
We are all just American,
This topic is sensitive for most,
I am just trying to make a difference in this world,
It is okay for you to say something back,
But when I say something back it just turns on me for being black,
I may not come across all the hate,
But I know it is there, isn’t that great?
I know the hate will never go away,
Is it that hard to all hold hands together and make this world better?
Everyone has a deeper message and their voice counts.
These lives are more than just more color and religion types,
Let America proceed down the right path again,
America can we be cool again?
Now not everyone is a racist or bigot,
Although, one apple ruins the bunch,
This fight is for all,
Black, white, purple or pink, who cares at all,
We don’t want to ruin it all,
I know every thinks they can do it all,
Let me tell you,
We are stronger together than alone doing it all,
He has struggled because of race,
I feel like that is such a disgrace,
He sees white as I see black,
No problems or no hate,
If we could all get along wouldn’t that be great?
Let’s just drop it all and not discriminate.
Recently, I met with a childhood friend of mine to discuss his perspective of being black. We met on a cold night in February at his apartment to discuss some questions. At first, it was hard to get information out of him. We had never actually had a talk about this in person or at any time. I know he has had some racist comments yelled at him on multiple occasions because I had been there. It was great to get a view of everything that is going on right now and what has happened to him in the past. It is astonishing to hear some of the stories about kids in high school and middle school yelling racial slurs at such a young age. In our interview, he tells me “Uncle Tom is basically a black dude that is basically hanging out with white people”(13:25). I had never thought about other black people calling other black people racist names. It started to make me think, are these kids taught some of these things at home? I asked him that question as well and he believed that it was taught at home at a young age like that. I wrote this poem to sum up the way his feelings were told to me. Being diverse is a good thing. Being different sets you apart from other, we don’t all want to be the same. Our unique traits are what makes us for who we are. I feel like people should be proud of that and no discouraged or hate being their skin color or religion. Humans are humans, we aren’t perfect and shouldn’t strive to be perfect or normal because those definitions are not existent when it comes to life. What is normal? What is perfect? Everyone’s definition is different and varies from person to person. Everyone needs to step into someone else’s shoes and see what it is like to be them. Judgment on color or religion is not an acceptable way to judge someone in this world we live. We don’t live the same life but I believe it is important for everyone to take a step back and live in someone else’s shoes for a day.
Racism in all forms is a huge problem in the United States and all around the world for not only one culture, but all. In “Equality for all or Equality for none,” by Sam Haston, provides a better understanding of racism and equality through a very interesting point of view on a poem he made and blogged about on WordPress. We share the same class, Anchor 214 0001 European Cultures, History & Ideas, at the University of Missouri Kansas City. He is a caucasian male and he interviewed an African American hometown friend about his views on race. Sam put together a detailed poem that directly explains what he has taken away from his friend’s point of view on race. He also applied these new ideas to his own views. When reading Sam’s post, the first few lines jumped out at me. He wrote that, “Roses are red, and Violets are blue, I do not discriminate why do you? I see black and you see white” (Lines 1-3). Reading these heartfelt lines, I felt connected to them. I realized that Sam related the beauty of flowers and their different colors to the beauty of diverse races in society. He builds up this idea which showed me Sam’s point of view about race. Further along in the poem, he states, “But when I say something back it just turns on me for being black, I may not come across all the hate, But I know it is there, isn’t that great?” (Lines 10-12). This point of view is from his hometown friend. Although it is not a direct quote, it properly explains how his hometown friend feels; it expresses his anxiety and the weight on his conscious about knowing some people feel the urge to discriminate even when he feels the opposite. The sarcastic question following makes my mind wonder if there was the slightest bit of humor behind the words, because it is hard to understand how racism has existed for as long as it has. It is almost difficult to comprehend why someone would ever have a natural built social and racial stigma against black people. Sam furthers his argument against racism in a full page analysis about his poem. He explains the views of his partner along with his own. Why race is a global issue is almost unimaginable to some, but a lot of people struggle with it. Many people are raised in a culture of old fashioned views that are simply outdated. Every race can bring change and new advantages to human life. No race or gender should be superior over the other, and I think Sam agrees. A lot of people do and a lot of people should.