The world is changing. And many people are afraid of what these changes
mean. Global warming. Political upheaval. Plagues. Wars. Yeah, all the
flavors of humanity. It doesn't matter where you live, these changes
will affect you. My name is Steve Voltaire and I'm a young black man of
Haitian descent living in the city of Brockton, Massachusetts. Lots of
changes are happening in my life these days and I'm not exactly loving
all of them.
Like many of you, I don't react well to change. When my family moved to
Brockton from the Republic of Haiti in 1999, Italians, Dutchmen and
Irish folk made up seventy six percent of Brockton's population. They
maintained solid domination over the local economy and politics. Ten
years later, fifty two percent of the population is made up of America's
so-called minority groups. African-Americans alone make up over thirty
percent of Brockton's population. Whites have become the minority.
Asians and Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in Brockton.
People of Cape Verdean descent are the largest ethnic group in the city.
The city of Brockton is internationally known as Little Cape Verde.
That's Brockton in the year 2009. Isn't that something?
There are lots of African-American, Hispanic and Asian business owners
in the city. Even at the Westgate Mall a lot of the stores are owned by
we who were called minorities for so long. I'm sure someday soon, a
person of Black, Asian, Hispanic or Cape Verdean descent will become the
Mayor of Brockton. I wouldn't mind seeing a changing of the guard in my
lifetime. Seriously. The Old Guard has run things for far too long. And
they've made a fine mess of things politically, socially and
economically. Time for the Americans of tomorrow to make their presence
felt. I see the township of Brockton as a microcosm of our changing
American society. This is the shape of things to come whether we like it
or not.
Changes happen whether we like them or not. When I was in college, I
struggled with questions of sexual identity. Eventually I accepted the
fact that I was bisexual. Being raised in a deeply religious Haitian
family didn't make things easy for me, as far as my sexual identity was
concerned. Although I'm celibate by choice now, I've dated women and men
in the past. I met interesting people. And I did have some fun.
Accepting changes is something we all must do. Just as I accepted the
fact that I'm bisexual and can't hide it from myself any longer, you
must do the same about whatever it is you're in denial about in your
life. Maybe you're struggling with body image issues. Deal with it.
Accept that you're tall, or short, or chubby, or skinny. Accept that you
look different from others, and it's okay to be different. Stop denying
it to yourself. Maybe you're broke, and like to pretend otherwise and
live beyond your means. Stop doing that. Seriously. The economy of the
world is crappy right now so we must all save every penny we can. Unless
you're filthy rich and completely shameless. In which case you can do
whatever you want, until something comes along to knock you off your
perch.
Maybe you're a man in a relationship with a bad woman. It could be your
mother, your sister, your aunt, your grandmother, your co-worker, your
daughter or your girlfriend. At any rate, deep down you know this lady
is bad news. Maybe she's pretty, and you had some good times in the
past. Maybe she helped you out once or she used to be nice to you. Well,
now she isn't exactly treating you right. You need to realize that
she's an abusive woman and get the hell away from her. I don't care if
she's got way more money and power than you. Or if she has damaging
information about you. Get the hell away from her. Before you end up
physically damaged, financially ruined, thrown in jail, or simply dead.
Stay away from bad ladies. They're far more dangerous than their male
counterparts. And if you don't watch out, they will mess you up.
Let's see, what else is left? Maybe you're a Black man, an Asian lady, a
Hispanic woman or a Middle-Eastern guy working somewhere. You're
surrounded by white men and white women. From the get go, they have it
easier than you. Simply because of their skin color. It's called white
privilege and even though white men and white women deny it, it still
exists. Maybe you don't care about the race of your co-workers. All you
want to do is do your job, get paid and go home. However, some of these
'mainstream people' have decided to make life hell for you at work. They
harass you in subtle and not so subtle ways. They exclude you from
certain activities. They unfairly deny you promotions. They dump their
work load on you and goof off with their buddies instead. It happens
every day in the United States of America. It's how the oppressors keep
their power. Don't let them get away with it. Record every nefarious
incident. Get a trustworthy witness who isn't a racially biased bigot
who benefits from being a part of or a servant of the privileged
oppressors. Get a good lawyer, show him or her the evidence you've
amassed and fight for your rights. Sometimes you're the only black
person, the only Asian woman, the only Hispanic man or the only
Middle-Eastern person at work. Don't let that weigh heavily upon your
heart. Do the best job you can and be aware of the evil forces of racism
and discrimination which work against you. Fight for your rights and
fight hard.
For the black man, the Asian man, the Hispanic lady or the
Middle-Eastern guy who works surrounded by a hostile sea of alabaster,
take heart. You're a human being and you have worth. Just because
mainstream America decides to treat you badly doesn't mean they're
right. Men and women of European descent feel they're the masters of the
universe. They're not. They've traveled the world destroying other
cultures and committing genocide. Those aren't glorious acts of
conquest. They're crimes against humanity. Long before Europeans came
along, people of color were the architects of civilization. In the
Middle East, the civilizations of the Persians, Sumerians and
Babylonians accomplished great things. In Africa, the Empires of
Ethiopia, Carthage and Axoum were remarkable civilizations. The Great
Emperors of China and the Lords of Imperial Japan were the architects of
Asia's masterful civilizations. And in India, great leaders like the
Emperor Ashoka spread civilization and knowledge everywhere they went.
People of color throughout the world have a rich and powerful history.
Let's not forget where we come from. We can accomplish great things.
Now, some people still intend on living in the past. White men and white
women in America ( not all of them but a significant number ) are
frightened as their privileges start to dwindle. Equality doesn't
benefit those who've ruled unquestioned for eons. It takes away their
unjustly held power and grants it to others. Blacks, Asians, Hispanics
and Middle-Easterners are sending their sons and daughters to great
colleges, including previously all-white Ivy League schools like
Harvard, MIT and Yale. In fact, there are many Asian students at MIT.
Black professors and Black students at Harvard have made their presence
felt. People of color in America are producing the CEOs, Power Brokers
and Political Big-Shots of Tomorrow. We're buying up foreclosed houses
in previously lily-white suburbs and diversifying America in the
process. We're integrating the Halls of Congress, the Office of the
President of the United States and the Governor's Mansion. That's the
world of tomorrow, folks. A tomorrow where Blacks, Asians, Hispanics,
Middle-Easterners and others will no longer be minorities. Collectively,
they'll be a truly diverse majority. A majority that will create a
truly multicultural society. A society where humans will be equal,
nominally at least. One where supremacy or fallacy won't be decided on
the pallor of one's skin.
America is changing. Some fear it. I don't. I look forward to it. Change
is to be welcomed and embraced. Time doesn't stand still and neither
should you or anyone else. After embracing my identity as a bisexual
black man, I now see myself as a citizen of the world. A man whose keen
intellect and open mind enables him to accept those men and women whose
cultures are radically different from his own. I embrace my African,
Arab, Hispanic, Asian and Native American friends out of a belief in our
shared humanity. I respect my fellow gays and lesbians of all colors
and wish them luck in their fight for true equality. Such are the views
of a truly educated and civilized man.