A Beautiful World Of Tomorrow

The world is changing. And many people are afraid of what these changes mean. Global warming. Political upheaval. Plagues. Wars. Yeah, all the flavors of humanity. It doesn't matter where you live, these changes will affect you. My name is Steve Voltaire and I'm a young black man of Haitian descent living in the city of Brockton, Massachusetts. Lots of changes are happening in my life these days and I'm not exactly loving all of them.

Like many of you, I don't react well to change. When my family moved to Brockton from the Republic of Haiti in 1999, Italians, Dutchmen and Irish folk made up seventy six percent of Brockton's population. They maintained solid domination over the local economy and politics. Ten years later, fifty two percent of the population is made up of America's so-called minority groups. African-Americans alone make up over thirty percent of Brockton's population. Whites have become the minority. Asians and Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in Brockton. People of Cape Verdean descent are the largest ethnic group in the city. The city of Brockton is internationally known as Little Cape Verde. That's Brockton in the year 2009. Isn't that something?

There are lots of African-American, Hispanic and Asian business owners in the city. Even at the Westgate Mall a lot of the stores are owned by we who were called minorities for so long. I'm sure someday soon, a person of Black, Asian, Hispanic or Cape Verdean descent will become the Mayor of Brockton. I wouldn't mind seeing a changing of the guard in my lifetime. Seriously. The Old Guard has run things for far too long. And they've made a fine mess of things politically, socially and economically. Time for the Americans of tomorrow to make their presence felt. I see the township of Brockton as a microcosm of our changing American society. This is the shape of things to come whether we like it or not.

Changes happen whether we like them or not. When I was in college, I struggled with questions of sexual identity. Eventually I accepted the fact that I was bisexual. Being raised in a deeply religious Haitian family didn't make things easy for me, as far as my sexual identity was concerned. Although I'm celibate by choice now, I've dated women and men in the past. I met interesting people. And I did have some fun. Accepting changes is something we all must do. Just as I accepted the fact that I'm bisexual and can't hide it from myself any longer, you must do the same about whatever it is you're in denial about in your life. Maybe you're struggling with body image issues. Deal with it. Accept that you're tall, or short, or chubby, or skinny. Accept that you look different from others, and it's okay to be different. Stop denying it to yourself. Maybe you're broke, and like to pretend otherwise and live beyond your means. Stop doing that. Seriously. The economy of the world is crappy right now so we must all save every penny we can. Unless you're filthy rich and completely shameless. In which case you can do whatever you want, until something comes along to knock you off your perch.

Maybe you're a man in a relationship with a bad woman. It could be your mother, your sister, your aunt, your grandmother, your co-worker, your daughter or your girlfriend. At any rate, deep down you know this lady is bad news. Maybe she's pretty, and you had some good times in the past. Maybe she helped you out once or she used to be nice to you. Well, now she isn't exactly treating you right. You need to realize that she's an abusive woman and get the hell away from her. I don't care if she's got way more money and power than you. Or if she has damaging information about you. Get the hell away from her. Before you end up physically damaged, financially ruined, thrown in jail, or simply dead. Stay away from bad ladies. They're far more dangerous than their male counterparts. And if you don't watch out, they will mess you up.

Let's see, what else is left? Maybe you're a Black man, an Asian lady, a Hispanic woman or a Middle-Eastern guy working somewhere. You're surrounded by white men and white women. From the get go, they have it easier than you. Simply because of their skin color. It's called white privilege and even though white men and white women deny it, it still exists. Maybe you don't care about the race of your co-workers. All you want to do is do your job, get paid and go home. However, some of these 'mainstream people' have decided to make life hell for you at work. They harass you in subtle and not so subtle ways. They exclude you from certain activities. They unfairly deny you promotions. They dump their work load on you and goof off with their buddies instead. It happens every day in the United States of America. It's how the oppressors keep their power. Don't let them get away with it. Record every nefarious incident. Get a trustworthy witness who isn't a racially biased bigot who benefits from being a part of or a servant of the privileged oppressors. Get a good lawyer, show him or her the evidence you've amassed and fight for your rights. Sometimes you're the only black person, the only Asian woman, the only Hispanic man or the only Middle-Eastern person at work. Don't let that weigh heavily upon your heart. Do the best job you can and be aware of the evil forces of racism and discrimination which work against you. Fight for your rights and fight hard.

For the black man, the Asian man, the Hispanic lady or the Middle-Eastern guy who works surrounded by a hostile sea of alabaster, take heart. You're a human being and you have worth. Just because mainstream America decides to treat you badly doesn't mean they're right. Men and women of European descent feel they're the masters of the universe. They're not. They've traveled the world destroying other cultures and committing genocide. Those aren't glorious acts of conquest. They're crimes against humanity. Long before Europeans came along, people of color were the architects of civilization. In the Middle East, the civilizations of the Persians, Sumerians and Babylonians accomplished great things. In Africa, the Empires of Ethiopia, Carthage and Axoum were remarkable civilizations. The Great Emperors of China and the Lords of Imperial Japan were the architects of Asia's masterful civilizations. And in India, great leaders like the Emperor Ashoka spread civilization and knowledge everywhere they went. People of color throughout the world have a rich and powerful history. Let's not forget where we come from. We can accomplish great things.

Now, some people still intend on living in the past. White men and white women in America ( not all of them but a significant number ) are frightened as their privileges start to dwindle. Equality doesn't benefit those who've ruled unquestioned for eons. It takes away their unjustly held power and grants it to others. Blacks, Asians, Hispanics and Middle-Easterners are sending their sons and daughters to great colleges, including previously all-white Ivy League schools like Harvard, MIT and Yale. In fact, there are many Asian students at MIT. Black professors and Black students at Harvard have made their presence felt. People of color in America are producing the CEOs, Power Brokers and Political Big-Shots of Tomorrow. We're buying up foreclosed houses in previously lily-white suburbs and diversifying America in the process. We're integrating the Halls of Congress, the Office of the President of the United States and the Governor's Mansion. That's the world of tomorrow, folks. A tomorrow where Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Middle-Easterners and others will no longer be minorities. Collectively, they'll be a truly diverse majority. A majority that will create a truly multicultural society. A society where humans will be equal, nominally at least. One where supremacy or fallacy won't be decided on the pallor of one's skin.

America is changing. Some fear it. I don't. I look forward to it. Change is to be welcomed and embraced. Time doesn't stand still and neither should you or anyone else. After embracing my identity as a bisexual black man, I now see myself as a citizen of the world. A man whose keen intellect and open mind enables him to accept those men and women whose cultures are radically different from his own. I embrace my African, Arab, Hispanic, Asian and Native American friends out of a belief in our shared humanity. I respect my fellow gays and lesbians of all colors and wish them luck in their fight for true equality. Such are the views of a truly educated and civilized man.