I am male, and therefore immune to the injustices made against women in the decades before I was born and the injustices happening to women all over the United States in contemporary times.
While technically, I suspect my belief system (or lack thereof) qualifies me as an atheist, I feel no religious persecution, for I feel I have none to be persecuted. I respect that religion is important to many people, however I grow increasingly frustrated by the few who twist the underlying tenants of many religions for personal gain.
I am white, and generally of privilege. My family would not have to had worry about its skin color during the emancipation or fear where to sit on a bus during the King civil rights movement. Yet, I'm saddened by the recent Supreme Court decision which has the de facto effect of rolling back many hard fought civil rights battles, and worry about losing the purity of the melting pot. I hope that a future version of us can restore and extend the privilege of voting to all citizens.
We are all a multiplication of the individual parts that create us; no individual facet of our id defines us. It is my belief that this spirit is what the founding fathers wanted to immortalize in our constitution.
To that end, I will continue to fight my own prejudices, and work toward higher levels of empathy for all individuals. I will gladly discuss and will encourage others to look at the product, not the individual factors that make up a person. However if they choose not to, I will try to accept that aspect of their individuality.
I have been very fortunate to have lived in and traveled to many different corners of our great nation. More importantly, I have met many awesome people who come from all walks of life. Over the years, it has become very clear to me that I must continue to work hard to stay true to this country's foundational declaration "...that all men are created equal."
We all deserve it.
