ThirstyFish

You can read an introduction to the American Mosaic project in the first post of the series. The United States, since its founding, has been both a "melting pot", and a "cultural mosaic". It has welcomed people of all backgrounds, from Quakers and The Amish to Chinese Immigrants that were integral to the construction of railroads, to waves of immigrants from every country in the world who have fled persecution or sought better lives.

Philadelphia has a significant population of Nation of Islam members. The Nation of Islam is a religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1930. It was founded to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States. Although the movement follows the general principles of Islam, it also holds some differing beliefs. Much like many African-American churches, the Nation of Islam focuses on social issues such as poverty, gang violence, drug use, prison ministries and racism. The movement has been criticized for its past stances on black separatism and black supremacy.

Internet sites promoting prejudice, intolerance and xenophobia are increasing. Unfortunately, even some mainstream public figures have jumped on this bandwagon. Bigotry is a slippery slope. The real threats to the "American way of life" are bigotry, religious intolerance and plutocracy; not the mosaic of individual cultures that make up the fabric of America.

Although progress has been made in the 40 years since the Civil Rights Movement, things are far from perfect for African Americans. They continue to be disproportionately disadvantaged and vulnerable to economic woes and unemployment. Racial inequality should be inexcusable in the 21st Century. Do we really "hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights"?

Song of the Day: Power of the Pentatonic Scale - Bobby McFerrin (2009)