GTA, before you read this, I want you to know these are my words, my thoughts, and my opinions.
The people who use racially disparaging slurs do not seem to realize those terms show ignorance and intolerance. I have repeatedly said we are all in this world to make a difference and hopefully to make it better. Everyone on this earth has a purpose, and I believe it is intertwined with others.
America was supposedly built on the premise of freedom. A part of the Statue of Liberty message states, “Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” At no point does it say, “Bring me some and leave others.” What many of us have to realize is none of us own anything. I repeat, none of us own anything! It is all a gift from God. There are some people who would say, “I work hard for what I have.” I would say the same, except, I know that God allowed me to gain the things I have. One of my daughters asked me why am I writing this, and I explained to her that this is something that needs to be said. As I gave it more thought, maybe this is one of the reasons God put me here at this time. We have to understand that words can either hurt us or they can heal. There are many people who are experiencing a lot of hurt at this time. If what I say can help them to feel better, then I am okay with that.
While we are out here tearing people down, we should be trying to teach some of our young people to be respectful, decent, and productive. I know that we have some genuinely great young people, but they are being overshadowed by the actions of others.
To the older generation, we must get it together so that we can teach the next generation to be the movers and shakers of the world.
Rebecca Gibson, West Point
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