Why we should stop saying “get over it” to Black people

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As we go through history classes from elementary school until college, we notice that the older we get, the more information we discover about historical events. We’re introduced to different perspectives and in many cases, we learn different lessons on time periods. Two topics, which are always discussed and have such a debate about them, are slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

Slavery and the Civil Rights Movement are two of the many significant events that happened throughout American history because during those times people were fighting for the rights and respect they deserved in the first place.

We should learn and talk about these events so history doesn’t repeat itself. We shouldn't whitewash history, ignore what happened, and tell African Americans to get over it.

Discrimination still happens today against African Americans therefore, some people need to look back in history and learn that their actions towards the African American community is wrong.

In order to learn from their mistakes and learn how to respect people from another race and background, they need to look back throughout history and learn about such topics.

It’s really ignorant to tell another race to get over what happened to their ancestors, when something injustice happened to them. It’s out of line and it seems like your condoning what happened back then. You may not say it like that or you didn’t mean it that way, but that’s what it sounds like.

For example, if a group of people felt this way about events such as about Pearl Harbor, 9/11, or the Trails of Tears, the people affected by these events will be disgusted by the type of response and you’re showing your lack of sympathy and understanding.

Although racism still exists today with African Americans, they went through many different and tragic experiences to fight for their freedom and gain respect as human beings.

During 1787, most African American couldn’t vote because of the ⅗ rule, where only five African American men will count as three people in determining the population for taxing and representation. The only reason they made that rule, so they don’t abolish slavery because most southern states didn’t want to abolish slavery that time.

African Americans didn’t get their voting rights until 1870, where they passed the 15th Amendment allowing African American men to vote. But, before it was granted to them, they had to pass a literacy test which showed a complete bias against them.

Another clause was the Grandfather clause, so if a white men failed the test, they can still vote because their father or grandfathers were citizens of the United States. Most African Americans during the 1870s were not from the United States, therefore they couldn’t vote due to this clause.

Many people tried to prevent African Americans from voting for example, in 1871, National Equal Rights League leader, Octavius V. Catto, was assassinated by a white man, who was attempting to discourage black voting in a Philadelphia election.

The crime and the killing didn’t stop there. In 1919, twenty-six documented race riots occur, where black communities across the country were attacked. Hundreds of blacks were killed and even more were injured in these attacks. There was widespread property damage in black neighborhoods. Also, white people used lynching to intimidate blacks.

These examples represent a fraction of the hardship African Americans went through during that time and are still going through to this day.

Racism and discrimination shouldn’t have happened in the first place, but the history behind it allows us today to reflect and make a better society.

There are many social movements going on right now such as the Black Lives Matter movement, which in a way is similar to the Civil Rights Movement. Both matters fight for justice and against issues where racism and discrimination occur.

Because a lot of African Americans still have to fight for their rights today, it’s insensitive to say ‘get over it’.

Don’t discourage them, tell them to share their stories and learn from it.