I created this blog to raise awareness about life in America from a black perspective. Some might ask why I’m compelled to focus on race. The answer is simple, because if I don’t, they won’t.
Here’s why I care.
I am black and that places me in the minority population in the U.S. Our political, educational, health and criminal justice systems were created by people who didn’t look like me and who considered people of my race as non-equals. As we are now more than 50 years since the passing of the Civil Rights Act, I think America remains a racist society and hasn’t figured out how to provide blacks with equality of opportunity. Not to say that some of us can’t squeeze by. But by and large, as a race, we are yet to realize our full potential. No hand out is necessary, just understanding that institutions such as the ones previously mentioned have the ability to hinder our progress.
With that being said, my dream reader is anyone who gives anything I have to say on the subject a second thought. I’m comfortable with people disagreeing with me. It’s all a matter or perspective. I’m not trying to get people to change the way they think, just as long as they think.
Photo credit to GoPixPic
Stirring Up Trouble by DrVLoLil 
Great post. Cant wait to see what you have to say.
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Thank you. I’m new to blogging, so be very patient with me.
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http://deacondarrell.com/2014/12/11/justice-or-salvation/
Darrell is a person of color and he is a great thinker. 🙂
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Wonderful! Thanks for the connection.
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I love your blog, I think what youre doing is important & I cant wait to read more 🙂
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Thank you. I’m excited about this new niche I’ve found. I’ll have to pace myself so I don’t get stressed or bored.
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Dr. Lopez-Littleton: Your blog is great! I’ve found myself hooked. I love to challenge my own opinion and read to understand how others’ opinions differ from mine and how that is okay. I specifically found the “sagging pants” to be the best challenge yet. I simply don’t like seeing the fashion-statement that these guys are trying to display. I also hate that extreme high-rise shorts and jeans are coming back in style for women, it completely disgusts me. I look at these two instances the same in that I would give both of these fashion-wearing people the same gross look. In another aspect of thought on sagging pants, and as one of your commenters mentioned, the look does not reflect the person in a professional manner. I like the idea of “a time and place” for that look. I also like how you explain that people just grow up around that and I have never really thought of it that way. I grew up around camouflage and to me, it’s simply a print that people wear. However, I am sure many people look at camouflage and think I must be going hunting or that it is just silly or ugly. I can also say that camouflage is about as unprofessional as sagging pants, so there is not much difference.
I am glad to have had the chance to read what you have wrote on your blog so far and look forward to more posts. I hope you have a good experience with getting people to think and exploring their disagreements. I do this sometimes on social media sites and typically end up getting frustrated at the way a lot of people handle disagreeing with me (name calling, insults, etc). I am sure you will have better feedback here, enjoy it!
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Thanks for your comments. Yes, speaking out publicly is challenging because everyone has their own opinion and their not always nice when they disagree with yours. Just so you know, I’m not a fan of sagging or many other things. But I don’t have the right the right to try to get people to conform to my personal taste and preference. I detest gum chewing. The last two flights I’ve taken, I’ve sat beside a gum chewer. Gross. I don’t create a ruckus or sound the alarm. It’s their seat and it’s their right.
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“Where you stand depends on where you sit.”
― Nelson Mandela
Dr. Lopez-Littleton, It was a pleasure to read your blog, I admire your dauntless courage in naming your blog “Stirring up trouble by DrVLoLil.” It gave me another perspective when advocating for social reform, challenging the status-quo, denouncing injustice, and valuing diversity. As a Puerto Rican woman, I am also placed in a minority category. Nevertheless, I agree that America remains a racist society, I further believe that it had failed to provide not only to blacks, but all other minorities, with equality of opportunity and social justice. Moreover, it is my personal experience that even when some can squeeze by, the existing powerful institutionalized discrimination can squeeze you back out.
I share your beliefs against the paradigm of racism, which I personally define as “the immoral and ignorant bigot’s poison behind the destruction of human possibility.” Therefore, political correctness aside, we could agree that our society is still poisoned by many colorful (no pun intended) assumptions and stereotypes about people in relation to their racial and ethnicity backgrounds. Hence, I share the slogan: “Black Lives Matter.”, I further point out evidence that since all of us live in America, we should all be treated as Americans, and we should all equally matter”. It is exhausting to argue that institutionalized racism is all around us, more when our tired calling for a national dialogue on race had gone unanswered, due to exasperated empowered people’s inability to recognize that change is needed. Therefore, I made it my purpose that all people living in America listen to this plea, and examine how our everyday actions contribute to racism, thereby, promoting social justice and improving the “human race” relations. I will definitely be one of your dream readers, by following you blog and replying my straight truth, even if it is what some people don’t want to hear. My reason being, is that there is hope that since racism is a learned behavior that can be unlearn, my one small voice could be joined to other thousand voices and get us justice and equality.
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I have read quite a few of your post regarding racism and find them very interesting. You definitely got me thinking. In particular, the subject of pulling your self up by your boot straps. It sure does take generations to see a change.
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I really like this post a lot! My favorite line ’I m not trying to get people to change the way they think, just as long as they think.” We need everyone to a least understand how other groups are feeling or being the one to do something or say something for our people. I agree that no one else is going to do it unless we want to see the change in our society.
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