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My Idea of Living the Dream

Malik, 8th Grade • Feb 12, 2024

Springfield NAACP Essay Contest Winner - Malik, 8th Grade

Living the dream to me is not to be discriminated against because of the way I look or how I'm supposed to talk and walk. Not have these stereotypes for the rest of my life because for most of my life I have been told by people at school how black people are supposed to be. Some white people have said, "You're black so you need to wear your pants low," and all these other stereotypes. For a long time, I felt like if I was white then maybe I would be accepted and not be discriminated against. I felt like I wasn't good enough for the world and maybe I just shouldn't be here because clearly people hated me and wanted me to be gone.

One of the worst stereotypes in my opinion is how black people are supposed to act. Like I act the way I act, how else am I supposed to act? Stereotypes shouldn't be put on anyone. Stereotypes: an often unfair an untrue belief that many people have about people or things with a particular characteristic. Black people have been through so many terrible, horrible, unimaginable things because we don't look the same.

Bayard Rustin way Martin Luther King, Jr.'s right hand man. One of Rustin's most notable contributions to the African American Civil Rights Movement was his plan of the 915 march on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. "We need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers." (Bayard Rustin 1912 - 1987) Some challenges he faced were because in 1953, he was an outwardly gay man who faced discrimination because he was gay and African American.

In the words of MLK, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. ... I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.'"

Another way of living the dream is to always love yourself no matter what happens because there are many things that could be worse. We all have gone through things but the bad things are what make us stronger and more vigilant. As Fredrick Douglas once said, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress. If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."

My idea of living the dream is to be accepted for who I am. Black is amazing, strong, resilient. We are so much more than the suffering.

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Successful First Weekend for Cape Girardeau NAACP Canvassing Team

By Pat McBride, President - Cape Girardeau 4048 • 09 May, 2024

This year the Cape Girardeau Branch is focused on voter registration. We have formed The Cape Girardeau Branch NAACP Canvassing Team, which consist of students from Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO). The students have registered more than two-hundred students on campus this school year, and are now working with me to register voters off-campus. They have named themselves the "SEMO Democrats." We have received donations from a variety of sources to support the students' efforts. Prior to canvassing the South Cape Community, the team received training from the Cape Girardeau County Clerk office and me. We wanted them to clearly understand that the NAACP Canvassing team is nonpartisan, what the requirements of the law for registrars currently is, and how to properly make sure only eligible voters are registering through us. We are serving people and not a particular party or agenda - other than the importance of voter participation. Within two hours, we knocked on fifty-three doors. We held several impromptu conversations on the street. We registered one convicted felon who recently regained their eligibility but wasn't aware. We met one person who did not want to complete voter registration. I will re-visit this door. The team also had the opportunity to canvass a community event who provided our hard working students food. I have been canvassing and working as a Cape Girardeau Election Officer since I retired from the State of Missouri in 2015 and have canvassed for voter registration since that time. I have learned that there is much need for voter registration and education activities in the South Cape community. We have families who are not registered to vote; ones who are registered but do not vote; some who need a voter registration record update ; and finally, many who have been on probation in the past and do not realize they are eligible to vote. I am proud of our students and our branch for making this project a priority. We plan to canvass weekly on Saturday (weather permitting) through October 2024. I will provide updates on our registration progress as we work to make sure every eligible voter in our area has a chance to register. We really appreciate the support of the MO State Conference of the NAACP!