Can’t Stand For This
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ver since kindergarten, at around 7:55 in the morning, the click of the announcement speakers would indicate the beginning of the day. Like clockwork, we would stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Now, the same daily pledge has been mandated in high school. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” As children, we don’t fully comprehend the notion of pledging our allegiance to this country. We are just taught to stand up and say it. Eventually, we get curious and question why we do it and the most popular answer we are given is “to pay our respects.” But is this really enough of a reason to promise our loyalty to this country? The creation of a country is usually rough, but it was even worse for the United States. The establishment of the U.S. involved the displacement and assimilation of the indigenous population who occupied the land for over 10,000 years prior. No country is perfect in its development either. Every country is going to have its rough patches and dark times. Before the United States was founded, the slavery of African Americans began in this country in 1619 and thrived for more than 200 years, up until it was abolished in 1865. Even though slavery was gone, African American people were still segregated and treated inhumanely. There were separate drinking fountains and bathrooms, restaurants labeled for “whites only” and bus seating by race. That wasn’t even half of it.
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Today, 156 years after the Civil War concluded and 56 years after desegregation, African Americans are often treated worse than the white population. Black people are at a higher risk of facing police brutality. According to justsecurity. org, “Black Americans make up about 13 percent of the U.S. population, but they account for more than 1 in 4 people killed by police.” The Black Lives Matter movement was reignited in May 2020 due to a police brutality case caught on video: the murder of George Floyd. This outraged millions of Americans of all skin colors. But some peaceful protests were met with police forces who fired rubber bullets and tear gas. These forces are funded and continue without punishment by the country to which we’re supposed to pledge our loyalty every day. Racism in this country shines through the “color-blind” wall put up by most people. Racism against African Americans isn’t the only problem—it occurs with every race other than white. Hispanic and Latino people are told to “go back to where they came from” and Asians are mocked for their facial structure. I don’t stand and pledge my allegiance to this country where these acts are tolerated and even encouraged by some. I protest for those who have died because they weren’t white. Those who were seen as “dangers,” “job stealers” or less than human. Similar discrimination issues are faced by women in America. Since the creation of the U.S., women have been associated with being less intelligent, less capable and weaker than men. Although there has been some obvious improvement from the 1850s, including a women’s right to
