When I moved to California five years ago from the east coast I thought I’d left racial tension and discrimination amongst African Americas in the east coast. Being African American I’ve seen so much division and discrimination amongst my own people where it’s affecting not only me, but other African Americans. I know people are going to be people, but there’s no sense for us to treat one another the way we do.

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that we all become equal, not discriminating and segregating against one another, yet we are doing to ourselves what he spoke and fought so hard against. As I go about my day here in the Bay Area, I read and hear about so much violence where young African Americans are killing each other at an alarming rate, not only here but across the nation in major cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Detroit, and Los Angeles, just to name a few.

What exactly is causing this pandemic amongst my own people? Well if you can’t answer this one, maybe I’ll try at it. “The Oakland Globe Newspaper” interviews inmates from Alameda County’s Juvenile Hall every week. Most inmates mention the fact that they grew up with either abusive, drug addicted, or single parents, or both parents who just weren’t concerned in their lives, not to mention other family members.

I too grew up with a single parent who had no education, no family support, raised four of us alone, provided food and shelter; made sure we attended school, and most importantly taught us to have morals and respect for ourselves and others. She also gave us all the love she knew how to give. When individuals are rejected from their parents because of who they are and what they do, they go out and make family with others, who are also rejected or discriminated against by their family members.

We can’t forget “society” either. These individuals become hurt, abandoned, and vulnerable to any and everything. When they disagree or become rejected by the other individuals who are also like them, they get into an altercation, then shoot and kill the victim, just because they were hurt by them, just like they were hurt by their family members.

In other words, when your own families reject you because you’re not educated, drive nice cars, own a home, can’t speak correct English, or be who they expect them to be, that doesn’t mean you have to reject them. Other races have always been supportive in helping, guiding, and nurturing me throughout most of my life. Just because my brother uses drugs, my mother doesn’t understand me, and my dad rejects me, doesn’t mean I have to reject them or other African Americans. To this day, the great Martin Luther King Jr. would have never imagined that there could be discrimination within his race; I think he would be extremely saddened and disappointed in what’s going on.