By Guest Author Emmanuel Mbaezue
Image is in the public domain.
Statistics have that in the United States, the number of unarmed black men and boys gunned down extra-judicially by white police officers since the killing of Michael Brown appears to be rising. Unfortunately for the future of the country, these human rights abuses do not just take America back to the shameful days of the Jim Crow Law, they also plunge the nation’s image into a downward spiral of distrust on the global scene.
Even some developing countries in the African, Asian and South American continents seem to enjoy better police-civilian relations than much of the US. The murderous disposition of some white police officers towards people of color in America is not only reminiscent of the dark days of apartheid South Africa, it also appears to be the new face of the Ku Klux Klan.
No great country ever escapes its past, although it can try to rectify its wrongs. The US continues to be plagued by racists moving blindly ahead in their murderous persecution of people of color. One of the most valuable truths that all Americans could learn is that the greatness of America cannot be measured in its military might, economic wealth, or scientific innovation.
True greatness can come only from respect and opportunities for the diverse peoples and cultures living here today—a respect that can enrich everyone far more than greed and prejudice. Borrowing the words of Yanni, the Jazz Man: “I am first a human being, then an Italian American, an Israeli American, a Chinese American, Iranian American, an African American…”