My fellow Americans and those that chose to call themselves Americans,
I was born on July 9, 1964 on Lakeland Farms in rural Perry Count and the evidence of the racial prejudices and the demeaning injustices we faced as African Americans filled the early years of my life. For the first sixteen years of my life, I had to recognize the fact I truly lived in a segregated society. I grew up in a mostly African American community where my grandfather worked on a dairy farm. I witness him refer to various Caucasians as mister or madam, even though he would be much older than they. I attended a segregated school and worshipped at a segregated church where the usual topic of discussion was how the American society treated us as a people. In spite of the words I learned to repeat as I faced the American flag, in reality, I understood I lived in a country that was actually many different nations under God. I realized this country was divided and offered liberty and justice only to those that belonged to the desired race and/or had enough money to purchase it.
As I left the comforts and seclusion of my small rural beginnings in 1981 to venture into the vast world, my heart filled with the hope of discovering the America I was taught about in school. I yearned to find the America shaped by the idea that all men were created equal. I yearned to find the America built upon the foundation of liberty and justice for all. I left Alabama, moved to Miami with my mother, and enrolled in American Senior High School. Even though I no longer faced the unmistakable racism of rural Perry County, I soon discovered in America, the preferred way of life was indeed segregation. Moreover, the America I was taught about in school did not exist.
During the decades since leaving rural Perry County, I have traveled this great country. The one thing I see no matter where I go is we are still a country that has not fully erased the lines that divide us. When I wake up in the morning, I find myself waking up in an America still encouraging us to place separating barriers on ourselves. I wake up to an America that is actually many nations, under many gods. I wake up to an America dividing itself into many segregated communities of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Japanese Americans, Irish Americans, Native Americans, and White Americans. I wake up to an America offering liberty and justice to all only if they are of the desired race and/or have enough money to purchase it.
In the five decades since the start of the American Civil Rights Movement and my birth, the American society has yet to come to grips with the words that the founding fathers of this country penned in the sacred pages of our constitution. These words mention something about us holding certain truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and are endowed by God with certain right, which includes life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Even though these very words have been repeated and included in various sermons, commentaries, and articles, America remains at a complete loss to the real meaning of these words. Over the years, America constantly tried to reshape itself into the nation presented in the preamble. Yet for some reason, we have fallen short. True, we have gotten rid of slavery and other injustices placed upon various minorities. Yet, we picked up other injustices and now fight to make them a part of our permanent society.
Therefore, I question how we can hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal; that all men are endowed by our creator to certain inalienable right that includes life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, when these truths have not even become evident in our communities, business, organizations, or in our way of thinking. The only truths evident in our society are we are many different nations, we have divided ourselves into our own preferred segregated communities, and we serve ethnically colored gods.
It is plainly apparent the motives of our modern day leaders have turned away from making sure everyone regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, or economic status will be treated fairly in America. Their goal became one of making sure only the rich and powerful is taken care of without regard to the condition of the rest of our fellow Americans. Their intention reintroduced into society the very same ideals of segregation many fought so hard to get rid of in the first place. Their objective is for America to devolve into a society where jobs are issued out according to wealth, power and influence rather than qualification. However, it is time for the American society to wake up and see any kind of discrimination, racism, or segregation should be a thing of the pass.
Today, the American society, in practice, is even worse than the Jim Crow society of old was in reality. Today, the American society continues to segregate ourselves from each other. Today, the rich and elite of the American society practice and possess the same misguided attitudes African Americans endured from most of the Caucasian community for so long. Today, the American society took up where the Klan left off years ago. We are killing ourselves and destroying our own neighborhoods. However, since the economic tide turned, it is now time for us to put aside our outdated way of thinking and press forward to making the dream of Dr. King come true.
I assure you that the American society have not forgotten the many heroes of the past civil right struggle; nor have we forgotten the great price paid in blood, sweat, and tears for the freedom America claim today. Instead, the American society must wake from our dreams of a bright future teeming with opportunities to excel. We must face the reality of an American society broken because of the overwhelming greed of the rich and elite and our desire to segregate ourselves. In order for the American society to become a great country, then an United America must understand what the words we hold so dear really mean. They mean if America is one nation under God then Americans must also be in God. We must possess the same opinion of the God we say we serve. We must be colorblind just as God is colorblind. We must possess the ability to see each other not as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, White Americans, or even rich, middle class, or poor Americans rather just as Americans.
Nevertheless, my fellows American, as we press forward into the unsure future, let us not forget to look at the past. When we look, let us not look through the glasses shaped by racism or grounded in hatred for our brothers and sisters. Rather let us peer through the same spectacles of hope our ancestors wore when they first envisioned this country. Rather let us peer through the same spectacles of faith Dr. King and many others of all races use during the Civil Rights Movement. Let us peer through the same spectacles of hope and faith into the self-evident truth that as long as we realize we are all a part of the body of Christ there will never exist a wall big, wide, or strong enough to hold an United America back from become the great country God called for our nation to become. A country where we realize we are all created equal by one God and given the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Then as Dr. King said, “Then we can all join hands and sing with new meaning the words of the old Negro Spiritual ‘Free at last, free at last, thank God, Almighty, America is free at last.
As always, may God bless each of us,
Preacher Fo Real
A.K.A.
Rev. Reginald Levi Walker
OUR NATION SHOULD BE A PLACE WHERE EVERY SINGLE CITIZEN IS ALLOWED EQUAL ACCESS TO THE OPPORTUNITIES NEEDED FOR LIVING, HEALTH, AND SUCCESS.
