Wednesday, February 5, 2003

In reflection of the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, upon reading the commentaries by Rep. John Lewis and others and hearing the keynote speaker's speech at the MLK celebration in north Atlanta, I have come to one conclusion. Race will always be a controversial topic.

I believe that we should celebrate King for being the one who spearheaded the civil rights movement using the same nonviolent techniques taught by Gandhi during India's quest for independence from the British.

We have come a long way in this country from the 1960s and the slavery of the 1860s. I believe that everyone should be given a chance in this life to make their life better, however I believe it should not be a chance based upon their skin color.

We all have the same opportunities in school to excel. We all go to the same schools, learn the same material and take the same college entrance exams. In filling out a college entrance application, one should not have to fill out what their ethnicity is nor whether they are male or female for that matter. One should be able to apply and when viewed for entrance, the only thing that should influence the application process is whether the person who is applying has met the entrance standard.

I believe that if this were employed then there would be a greater diversity in our schools and in the workplace.

Many African-Americans have succeeded despite the adversity and barriers that stood in their past. Famous ones include George Washington Carver, Douglass, Harriett Tubman, Colin Powell and Martin Luther King, Jr. These people had a desire and a drive to want something better for themselves and for their families. It did not come easy and it was not given to them. They knew how the system was, used their mind and their strength to better themselves through that system and to become the great people and leaders of their day.

There was not any affirmative action for those famous African-Americans listed above. It took a lot of hard work and perseverance and discipline to reach their goals. Those people should be studied by all people, not because they were black or had been or their ancestors had been slaves, but because of the tenacity and unquenchable spirit that they had in them.

I believe that affirmative action does not help the African-Americans but makes them slaves once again. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines slavery as "submission to a dominating influence." What is more dominating in this day and age in the schools and workplaces than the race issue and affirmative action? It dominates how people of other races perceive each other, especially the African-Americans. Affirmative action has become a stigmatism and sticking point in our nation's growth to become one nation and one people.

We must give everyone an equal opportunity to further themselves and the government has to set the example. In the military, the leadership training courses always stress that as a leader you must lead by example, meaning that if you want people to follow you then you must show by your actions how you want them to follow. The government must do the same.

Affirmative action, quotas and preferential treatment can not be used to deal with a problem. Just as in disciplining children, you do not bribe a child with a piece of candy or a promise of a surprise in order to get them to do something. That defeats the purpose. Today we need a society that works and strives for goals not based on what someone can give them or what they can get, but on the basis of how well we perform and the tenacity, strength, perseverance and discipline of ourselves to achieve our goals.

So as the King birthday comes and goes for another year we as a nation need to look back and study not just that the basics of the lives of famous people. We need to see the obstacles and barriers that stood in their way and how with strength, discipline and perseverance they overcame those adversities to become great historical figures. Affirmative action and other special treatment will not better our country but in the long run will stunt its growth and keep it from attaining the greatness that we all envision it to become.

Jerrod Wells

Senoia