THUNDER BAY – “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”. That famous quote said by Martin Luthur King Jr. is one that our society and earth should be a goal.
While we have made a lot of progress in reaching this goal, a friend relayed a sad example today that says there is still a long way to go in some cases.
My friend is in the market for a vehicle. His very well driven van finally gave up the ghost last week. It was time for another vehicle.
When he found a private sale of a used van, at an acceptable price, he thought everything was done. It was, until the seller found out that his wife is an Aboriginal.
That killed the sale.
As incredible as that sounds, my friend assures me it is accurate.
Perhaps it shares that despite many efforts to make our society more equal, we still have a long way to go.
For the person selling your van, perhaps realizing that economics is not race based might be a lesson. A vehicle won’t care who drives it. The bank won’t care who paid you that $4000.00 in cash for your vehicle.
Society on the other hand likely has the enlightened people which thankfully make up the vast majority of our population.
We should not feel anger at a person whose view of the world is so narrow that they wouldn’t sell a vehicle to someone because of their racial background. We should feel pity for someone who is losing out on so much.
What we can also hope is that their vehicle goes unsold for months. Maybe that lesson will sink home for that person that economics is not race-based.
I have a dream that one day, right here in Thunder Bay, we will live in a city where Martin Luthur King Jr.’s dream comes true.
James Murray