I stand before you as an African-American young adult. One who has prided himself on showing leadership qualities in Boy Scouts, football, and in school. In those areas, I interact with different races, thus helping to bridge the racial gap. Although, I as an individual have worked hard on trying to bridge the racial divide, no one can do it alone. It would take a group's efforts to accomplish this goal. The United States prides itself on being considered the most diverse country in the world. Living in New York, one of the largest metropolitan areas in our country I have the opportunity of seeing different races every day. Our cultural melting pot of a country has evolved so much from the mid-1950's, such that interracial marriages, minority executives, celebrities, and athletes are all now commonplace in our society. It is also not unheard of to see many minorities living in predominantly Caucasian neighborhoods. Many individuals have fought to try and achieve racial harmony. Some of these individuals are Dr. Martin Luther King, Jeese Jackson, Roy Wilkins, A. Phillip Randolph, and Al Sharpton. However, there are still many racial stereotypes and social imbalances in our country. When we talk about race relations we generally talk about African-Americans and Caucasians we forget about Hispanics and Asians. The Hispanic population is the fastest growing group in the United States and will soon become the majority, making whites a minority. The Hispanic and Black communities are joining forces to form political voting blocks, which will give them more political and economic power. Every group of people respect power whether it is political or economic. Some people, many of whom are Caucasian, are still alienated when seeing a group of young African-American males gathered in groups. African-Americans are still being pulled over by police officers for no particular reason, other than "looking suspicious".
