Posted by
Steve on Thursday, August 10, 2006 3:03:34 AM
Martin Luther King said that he wanted a society where people were judged by the content of their character not the color of their skin. In our society today, we have not entirely reached that ideal and probably will never completely reach it. But, we are much closer to that ideal than "Civil Rights" leaders will ever admit.
In my personal life, I have tried to live Martin Luther King's ideal. I believe that I have reached a point where it can be said that my life and my family are an example of exactly that point.
My wife and I had three boys of our own. When she could not have another child, we looked into adopting. Our first adopted child came to us through an agency. She was Native American and it took quite a few years to finalize that adoption. We went through a lot of hoops to achieve the goal. That included going back to the Tribal Court and having the birth mother affirm that she wished that we adopt our daughter.
Our second adopted child came to us through an attorney. He had a client that was going to have a child and was looking for someone to adopt. We were looking to adopt and we managed to meet. This daughter is hispanic.
Our third adopted child came to us through a doctor. We had contacted local OB/GYN's and this one responded that he had a patient that wanted to put her child up for adoption. We met the birth mother before the birth. After the birth, my wife went to the hospital and saw our son. She talked to the birth mother and they agreed on a first name. This son is black. The birth mother wanted contact with him when he turned 18. He went to visit her shortly after turning 18. We are still in contact with her.
Our fourth adopted child came to us through a friend. They were hosting a girl who was pregnant and wanted them to adopt her child. After the baby was born, I told the father that if anything happened and they could not adopt the girl, we would like to be considered. Well, about a month later, the mother got sick and died. The court would not let the man adopt by himself. He called us and we came and got her and adopted her. This girl is white.
What does all this mean? It shows that I have a commitment to the ideal of a colorless society. What group could I discriminate against? My brother's wife is from asia. All groups are covered. This also shows in my children. They have friends that are from every racial group. They do not let color determine who will be a friend. How many other families can truly say they live the ideal?
The race lords are wrong. It is possible to live in a color blind society. To a great extent we do that in the US today. It is only when we come across the artificial barriers to that ideal that we have problems. The biggest is affirmative action. Affirmative action laws degrade the group they supposedly help. All students from the group benefited by affirmative action are considered below the minimum level for the college. They are treated that way and many prove the people right by performing badly.
I would never want to benefit from affirmative action. Affirmative action says that I am part of a group that cannot meet the standards of a particular college. I am an individual. I am not necessarily part of a group. Judge me by what I do. Do not judge me by what my race does. Affirmative action judges me by my race. It is wrong.