Organized Racism

Back home, I am still processing the sights and symbols of apartheid in South Africa (SA). The images are front and center in my brain. Our visit to the apartheid museum told the story of the thousands who suffered because they were black. It also paved the road map of the struggle to end discrimination based on color. It finally struck home — apartheid is organized racism. Nothing subtle about it. Blatant. Stark. Explicit.

While political apartheid has been over for more than 20 years, economic apartheid in SA is omnipresent. I don’t understand it. How can color define the outcome of people’s lives to such an extent? I can’t seem to come to terms with what I experienced.

While we are well into the throws of the 21st century, our behavior and mindset, when it comes to race, seems to be stuck in the dark ages. Will we ever see the light of equity and fairness? Will color ever stop being the end-all of all human existence? When will we ever level the playing field? So many questions, so few answers.