It's no secret that racial tensions have always plagued America. While people in my generation love to think that racism and xenophobia are things of the past, it is becoming more evident that history is repeating itself. On September 19, 2016, son of Presidential candidate Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., posted a disturbing meme on the internet.
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This damaging meme has been popping up all over my Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. It's disheartening to see so many people share this without realizing one important fact: human beings are not skittles. When I hear someone say we have a Syrian refugee problem here in America, I believe them.
However, this "problem" is not what you'd think.
The problem is not with us allowing Syrian's into the country and offering them safety and shelter, the problem is how little we are actually doing to help. The problem is with the attitudes of many Americans towards these refugees. In a country that was founded on immigration, in a country that prides itself in being the land of opportunity, how can we sit here and watch our fellow human beings suffer without offering our help?
A tweet by Jason Sparks (@sparksjls) shows heartbreaking photos of the crisis in Syria. These are not terrorists, these are not people out to "mooch off of Americans," these are men and women and children who need our assistance. These are families fleeing their country but drowning before they reach safety. These are babies and toddlers being blown up because we have not made the path to America a safe one.
These are our fellow human beings that are in need of our help.
So instead of blindly retweeting memes that compare Syrian refugees to candy, think deeply about the world we live in. Think deeply about how it must feel to wake up every day in a country that does not feel safe to you. Think about walking your children to school and not knowing if they will make it home alive that day. Think about how lucky we are to live in America and have the opportunities that we have.
And then it is your duty to help.
Help educate your family and peers on the crisis and the people of Syria. Help by donating your time and money to positive organizations who have begun to reach out to refugees. Help yourself and everyone around you do a better job today.
In elementary school, we learn to be kind to others. In church and other religious organizations, we learn to help thy neighbor. It's time we start taking these lessons to heart. It's time we start doing better.
