Dear Society,
The first African American to receive a degree from an American college was Alexander Twilight in 1823.
The first African American female millionaire was Madam C.J. Walker in 1910.
The first African American to become president of the United States was Barack Obama in 2008.
These achievements in addition to many more led to cultural change within society.
Today, African Americans are steadily creating history and still earning the titles of the first African American to achieve. Based on our history, I thought by 2020 our country would be diverse enough to surpass these titles. In my opinion, we should be far more advanced to the point where these titles become extinct. While these titles are honorary and inspiring, I believe that they come with a weight that our current and future generations shouldn’t have to carry.
Today, we are also still holding the position of the only person of color in a particular organization, event, or group. I could count for hours how many times I was the only person of color in a particular setting. As similarly mentioned in my previous blog, Nine to Five, our leadership in corporate America tends to have little to no diversity making the only person of color stand out as an outcast. This lack of diversity also pertains to the leadership of our country.
Our race should be well intertwined within society to the point where we can move on from breaking the color barrier. As we continue to create influential history, it is mind-boggling to me that our country’s current biggest setback is our lack of diversity and inclusion.
