Be Cautious Of The "Hood", Not Scared Of It

So today's topic is Be Cautious Of The "Hood", Not Scared Of It. I came upon today's topic while trying to figure out how I received a "sorry we missed you" note from FedEx when I was definitely home. So I thought about and came to two conclusions, either 1 the driver knows it's faster to leave a note than to wait for a person to give them their package or 2, they scared to ring the bell in the hood because of who might answer the door. Whichever one it is, I'm still upset, but that's not the issue. The issue is that we are people who live in a country where we still feel uncomfortable in certain areas and no I dont just mean the hood as in the ghetto. I'm a black man and have at times felt uncomfortable in predominately white neighborhoods where supposedly (clear my throat) crime doesn't exist. This feeling never felt so more true than when I had to deal with an incident in North Andover, Massachusetts where for the first time I actually understood the feeling of hatred due to race in my life. I have friends and even relatives of all different backgrounds and treat them the same way I would anyone however not everyone in the world shares my respect for people and their backgrounds. When do we realize it's 2011, racism only exists because we allow it to. I refuse to agree with anyone who doesn't recognize that it is still alive and kicking, but at the same time why is that. I saw a documentary yesterday about the integration of public schools in Virginia back in the fifties and sixties and one of the people they interviewed said something to point of " we did not fear white people because we understood them. We worked in their homes and on their land, we saw and were apart of their life for so many years, yet they did not do the same with us so to them we were unknown and people fear the unknown". That struck me as being so true. We as a people fear what we don't know and understand. Sadly the ghetto gets portrayed in a negative light in the papers and television so what do you expect from people who only know about the ghetto in that light, they fear it and anyone who comes from it. I can only play my part in correcting the image that gets put out there by being an example and thru my writing, I urge others to do the same in whatever it is they do. The solution of the problem is within us, but it's gonna take a group effort. It won't be easy and it won't be overnite, but small steps lead up to huge achievements. So in closing only a fool would walk anywhere with his eyes shut, fear is that which exist of the unknown but if we educate ourselves and others on the unknown what do we fear. This your boy Eddie "E_SLIM" Matthews signing off for today reminding ya'll to Keep It Real, Later.