What Fighting Really Means

Photo courtesy of Zapcro at Facebook.

COMMENTARY BY MYJA MILLER, FNN REPORTER, WOODRIDGE BUREAU.  

FNN CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY: FEB. 18, 2014. Have you ever wondered why so many black people fight each other over silly stuff nowadays with Facebook comments or Twitter posts? On any given day in middle and high schools all over the city it’s usually over a girlfriend, boyfriend, or friendship gone bad.

Well I think that all of this fighting is a joke and mainly for no reason at all. I just didn’t get the memo on what we are fighting for. African Americans should be fighting for more important things and taking a stand for something instead of fighting one another. We should be fighting for education, for jobs, and things that can better our lives. Maybe then, and only then, will people actually look at us as doing something meaningful for ourselves instead of looking down and shaking their heads while reading the headline news reports.

During segregation, African Americans fought for equal rights and freedom. We grew up with nothing, but with a family that would tell us “it’s going to be okay, and there’s going to be a brighter day.” Imagine no "Civil Rights Act of 1964" or "Voting Rights Act of 1965”. We should be back to fighting for so much more, but we are not. We are now fighting for the survival of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Black History Month is a reminder of what we must do to create a better-than-expected future history for ourselves, families, and generations to come. Now more than ever, it's so important to remember those who have shed blood, sweat, and tears for what we know today as HISTORY. Fighting one another doesn’t make any sense when you think about all that we have been through, and how far we’ve come. Living right here in the nation’s capital is a reminder every day that we have an African American president fighting for this country and us all.

Myja Miller is a 7th grade scholar at Friendship Woodridge Academy.