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One must always maintain<br />
one’s connection to<br />
the past and yet ceaselessly<br />
pull away from it.<br />
Gaston Bachelard<br />
-French Philosopher<br />
The hurt of the past<br />
must subside for the<br />
present to be tolerable and the future to be<br />
obtainable. We must forgive those who hurt us in<br />
the past to walk into our future. Old wounds of the<br />
past will never heal if we keep picking the scabs in<br />
the present-- it will set up infection in the future.<br />
We have overcome much adversity. However,<br />
there is still much unresolved animosity. If you<br />
want change, be the change.<br />
Embrace the freedom and<br />
liberty our ancestors did not<br />
have that they fought for,<br />
and thus paved the way for<br />
us to walk in freedom. So<br />
many of us are bound in our<br />
minds we have forgotten the<br />
struggles of the past and<br />
<br />
stood together to change the<br />
course of history, turning a<br />
racist and prejudiced society<br />
to one of acceptance and tolerance.<br />
Maybe because we weren’t there we’ve<br />
forgotten how they were whipped, beat, and<br />
called names. In essence, everything was done<br />
to take their dignity and even their lives. “We shall<br />
overcome.” Or have we as a people forgotten?<br />
If we have we must remember. Yes, the past<br />
hurts. Racism and prejudice still exist, but not with<br />
by Anika La Shawn Safi<br />
the same intensity they<br />
once did. Let’s walk in<br />
our freedom. Let’s enjoy<br />
one another. Let’s not<br />
lose the dignity, honor,<br />
and respect, which those<br />
before us fought for. Let’s<br />
press thru the hate, push<br />
thru the animosity, and<br />
strive to show generosity to our fellow man.<br />
We owe it to them to keep marching in<br />
The Future of Black History<br />
The Adversity of the Past Leads to Triumph in the Future<br />
the victory they began. Let’s keep up their<br />
momentum, close the gap, and heal the wounds<br />
that have plagued us for generations. Let’s<br />
remember our past, embrace our present, and<br />
welcome our future. Let’s not let our past hurts,<br />
hinder our future joy.<br />
If those that have gone on<br />
before us were alive today--<br />
those who walked in the<br />
turbulent times of yesterday--<br />
where the color of their skin<br />
caused them pain, and<br />
<br />
today, what would we want<br />
them to say? I hope they<br />
would say:<br />
“Look at them, they got<br />
it, they understand, that no<br />
matter the adversity, you can triumph over the<br />
<br />
worth it.”<br />
Let’s stand for what is right, regardless of color,<br />
gender, or creed. Acceptance and tolerance is a<br />
must for the advancement of humanity.<br />
I say the only way we can change the world is to<br />
change ourselves.<br />
<strong>OKIE</strong> MAGAZINE www.okiemagazine.com Page 4