Author: Wesley Abreu

What is the true definition of freedom? Are we really free? Or are we just living in a world that is controlled by the upper class? These are questions I continue to ask myself as I hear the word “freedom”. I see freedom as the ability to do anything that you put your mind to, no matter what anyone thinks or says. We live in the country known as the “Land of the Free”, but throughout history people of color have been deprived of their freedom. It seems like the word freedom has only belonged to white people. In the 1950s and 1960s the civil rights movement started. It was an era where the people of color fought for their equality.It started because of the law that people of color and whites can’t share the same things, they must be segregated. People of color were not able to use the same water fountains, bathrooms, stores, or even go to the same school as white people. The reason they were so segregated was because of the law called Plessy vs Ferguson which meant that people of color and whites were “separate but equal”. Many people believed that segregation must come to end especially the people of color. There were many people of color that fought back against segregation like Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Little Rock 9 , Malcolm x and etc. Through determination, perseverance, and hard work they fought for what they wanted which was their freedom.

Thanks to the sacrifices of those wonderful people in the civil rights movements, color of people can finally walk freely and have equal rights. Although the land of the free may be free, other countries don’t have the same luxury. Other countries like Iraq wished they had the amount of freedom us Americans have. Women are highly discriminated. They are not even allowed to walk outside of their homes if they do not have a male beside them. Women in Iraq are used to only stay in the house to cook, clean, and take care of their kids. They don’t have the chance to follow their dreams and accomplish their goals. Americans take advantage of the freedom instead of putting it to good use. Which is why it is absolutely imperative that I go after any goal that I set for myself.

Malcolm X is a perfect example of freedom. When he was in the worst position possible which was jail he still made the best of it. He got his freedom taken away in a physical standpoint but he made sure they didn’t take his freedom of knowledge. Malcolm X pushed himself by reading the entire dictionary to learn every single word that he didn’t know. That is absolutely I spring. Malcolm X made sure that his freedom of knowledge was not taken away from him.”months passed with me even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” This quote demonstrates that Malcolm X felt free being in prison because he had so much time to himself, not only did he learn about other things reading books but he learned more about himself. After his 7 year imprisonment he became one of the most powerful influence in the civil rights movement that led to the end of segregation.

I am honestly blessed to have the ability to say I have freedom. Freedom has been a global issue, I’m hoping that one day everyone will have the right to follow whatever he or she desires. As Malcolm X used to say “ A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire, or preserve his freedom.