Au Courant

“Segregation is the adultery of an illicit intercourse between injustice and immorality.” This quote found me about a year ago even though I have always felt this way in my heart, but would never be able to express these thoughts as elegantly as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As I look back to the summer of 2000, I can now see how I was teetering between the person I was and the person I would eventually become. My high school graduation was as fresh as yesterday and my tomorrow would be the first experience with the collegiate world. As a white male attending a historically black college and university, I was surprised at my calmness as orientation arrived. Never one to be uncomfortable around any type of person regardless of race, creed, or gender, I was worried more with how I would be perceived then my receptiveness. This experience strengthened my already strong sense of self as it broadened my knowledge. From a required University 101 class to my own reading of W.E.B Du Bois's "The Souls of Black Folk", I saw a side of America’s history that was only hinted on during my previous twelve years of public education. One journey leads to another as I found myself wanting to learn more about life by living rather than studying. I convinced myself to take one semester off and travel which lead to my real test six years later, to further my education. During my self described sabbatical I continued learning in nontraditional ways yet yearned for the piece of paper that would finally lay to rest the stigma of being a college dropout. This accomplishment will concrete my foundation to which I can build upon my ultimate goal of starting my own school. A traveling school, where pupils learn not from books but from places. To learn about political and economic inequality from a book doesn’t compare to seeing inequality first hand. It not only teaches a lesson but the vision remains for a lifetime, making one more apt to break barriers and find solutions. From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to South Africa’s Nelson Mandela,
these students will not only see and learn about America’s societal problems and progress, but also have a chance to compare to other countries cultures and traditions. Dr. King’s ideals born and nurtured during a turbulent time in America’s history is not innate to us here in the states, but rather belongs to a greater global consciousness for all of mankind. Forever optimistic I see a future imbued with the ideas and teachings of edifying figures such as Dr. King. A future where equality and harmony are no longer strived for, but rather second nature and understood to be the main staple of all societies in this au courant world of ours.