All of my life I’ve been told blacks had to fight to get where we are today. There were days when a black man would have to walk from sunrise to sunset to please a plantation master. Families were often destroyed due to the slave trade. Black women were humiliated and violated. And I was asked, are we equal?

I understand the Emancipation Proclamation declared slavery illegal; but I cannot forget the past.

But I must question you. Am I different because of the color of my skin? Did you answer,”No?” Wrong, I am. Sure, I have the same body parts, emotions and feelings, but I use them differently.

I thank God for my body parts because some don’t have them all. My emotions are expressed differently because as a black man, I have to prove myself. The feelings I have are often questions, wondering what’s going on.

So are we equal? You think about it.

Malcolm Williams

Sophomore

Human/family resources