A Bright 'Multicolored' Rainbow Is Visible
By Khalid A.
London UK
The dark clouds of prejudice have lifted and a bright 'multi-colored' rainbow is visible on the global horizon. Centuries ago, Newton discovered that the many shades of rainbow come from a single source of white light. Now humanity is discovering that many shades and colors of our skin are from a single ancestor, like multi-colored flowers born of a single seed.
There is a saying "Give the devil his due". Nobody, not even white Americans, deny that great injustices were done to non-whites, especially black slaves, for centuries. But we have to ungrudgingly accept that Americans make genuine efforts to rectify their political and social system. Otherwise, we can even criticize Abraham Lincoln, for the past deeds of his nation. Also one has to realize that deep social changes take long time to nurture.
Going back to American history, Thomas Jefferson wrote in his will that all his slaves should be freed after his death. One of his slaves escaped during his life time but he did not pursue his arrest. Abraham Lincoln fought a civil war for four years to abolish slavery. It is on record that at the end of the war, millions of slaves refused to leave their 'masters' because they had nowhere to go. This proves the point that such monumental social changes take long time to reach every corner of the land. It would have been a social catastrophe if Lincoln had forced the land-owners to 'expel' the slaves, or for that matter, if he had decided to ship them to Africa.
The real change of such magnitude cannot take place without winning the hearts and minds of the common people. One litmus test of that process is the current trend of inter-racial marriages. If a white person is willing to accept that his/her own children may not be 'pure white', there can be no doubt that such a person is not racist and is in fact color-blind. The same applies to his/her black spouse. Both have passed the great test of racial equality – nay - they have become 'colorless'. It is interesting to note that Barack Obama was a child born to parents who married across the racial divide. He is neither black nor white. This is the secret of his success.
However, we should not expect miracles from the new political leadership in Washington. There is a cartoon in the Daily Telegraph showing a White House fountain pool with a sign saying: "Please do not walk on water".
There is a breath of fresh air across the globe. Let us all go for a session of deep-breathing. It will do us good to get rid of our own home-made prejudices that lead us to an apartheid of fair complexion even in our own homes.
