“Racism is man’s gravest threat to man -- the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason,” Abraham J. Heschel once said. Over 40 years ago Heschel made that quote. Forty years, you would think man would be able to see past one’s skin color. Well, that’s where you would be thinking incorrectly. After 40 years some people can’t seem to see how unfair racism is. No. They only see each other’s skin.


Have you ever not been accepted because you looked different? Have you ever known someone who had been treated differently because of their skin color? Have you ever treated someone unfairly because of their skin color? I know what you’re thinking. After the civil rights movement in the 60’s, racism would have ceased. That’s what I would have thought too.

But, in reality, that’s not the truth. In our country we have seen a group called the KKK, or Ku Klux Klan rise before us. A white supremist group; they believe that there should be no mixing of the races. In 1924, the KKK hit an all time high with an estimated six million members. Over the years the numbers have made a significant drop. In 1980 there were 5,000 members. Even though there has been a decrease, it seems that they may be on the rise once again. In 2008 there were 6,000 members. It seems as though racism still plays a large part in this country.

On January 16, 2007, 14 year old Cheryl Green of Los Angeles was shot down in her neighborhood. A few Latino gang members were convicted for the crime. In Cheryl’s neighborhood a dividing line stands, leaving the blacks to their side and the Latinos to their side. Cheryl Green just happened to come too close to that line. Another life lost to the hatred that is racism. In Los Angeles, cases of racial discrimination increased 34% in 2005 alone. How many more lives are we willing to lose?

When God created us He created us as equal and as one. He did not intend for one to be superior over the other. In scripture it says that “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” -- 1Samuel 16:7. We should follow God’s example and judge by the heart.

Ever since the beginning of our country’s history, racism has been present. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln made a great stride with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Look at our country now. Sorry Lincoln, I guess all that perseverance to get the Emancipation Proclamation passed, still hasn’t passed through everyone’s minds.

In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress; a monumental event in this country’s history. In 2008 the first black President, Barack Obama was elected; again, a huge leap. Then why is it that after these tremendous achievements, racism still spreads through our country like an incurable disease? Now that we have our first black President, will we be cured; but then why not after 1863, or 1964? What will make the next four or eight years of his term any different? Maybe it will change, maybe not. What about next time? I say to stop waiting and end racism. Not tomorrow, but today -- NOW.