In life what we believe to be reality is determined by our life experiences and what we are taught by others. A belief is something I first attached to religious teachings as most people do. In America what we believe as fact tends to be related to race. What we think about a person of another race we tend to believe that it is the truth. When there is a belief of either racial superiority or inferiority there is a problem. When one accepts something as a fact it is very hard to be open-minded about another viewpoint. We see this in most cultures around the world. The racial problems of this country have always existed and although we have made some progress towards equality they have mostly come from laws enacted by the government. How we look at others who are different depends on our core beliefs which we learn from family and peers.

The prison system has a majority of inmates who are, for the most part, Black. This fact can make people think that this particular group is predestined to commit crimes against society as a whole. Committing crimes to survive or have a better life is a belief that has put a generation of young Black men in jail or the cemetery. Black men continue to be killed by the police who shoot first and ask questions later. There has always existed a belief in the Black community that any contact with the law is something to avoid. Our beliefs about race have not changed over time because of people on both sides of the racial divide who have set beliefs about how they see each other. That is our reality.