MLK jr, oppression, racism, justice and equality

I finished MLKjr.'s autobio finally. Besides the many impressive things he's done, I want to discuss the chapter on the Chicago campaign. In most of the beginning of his life he battled blatant racism in the South. In this chapter, he talks about how racism is different in the NORTH. For example. he argues that first the people are exploited because they were not allowed to get a job. They weren't allowed to get a job because they weren't educated. They weren't educated because they didn't live in areas with good integrated schools. They couldn't live in those areas because they didn't have money. They didn't have money because nobody would hire them. So they lived in ghettos where they paid high rent prices relative to what they got. All the surrounding businesses ripped them off because frankly the shops and such had a monopoly on their business. They couldn't go elsewhere for their shopping because if they relied on any government assistance (which they all did to a small degree) they weren't allowed to own any property or assets. Without any property or assets they couldn't own a car as means of transportation. They couldn't invest in their own future. As I read this, I couldn't see how any person, white or black could get out of that vicious cycle.

(the funny thing is i could see why the gov't would not allow people relying on gov't assitance to own property and assets. They didn't want leechers or freeloaders. their reasoning might be, if you had any assets, you didn't need the help. i think thats a dubious assumption. But also, the fact that they didn't allow the people to own assets meant that they will never let the people who need assets and such ever to break out of their cycle.)

I think for most of my life I felt like if you didn't succeed, it was your own fault. But since coming to Berkeley, I realized that sometimes a system can be so wrong and/or oppressive that no one in that situation despite making the best decisions and having the most persevering heart can have any chance of success. For example, the other day I was talking with one of my friends where they read a nonfiction account of this scholar that moved to a Western country (forgot which). The whole story talks about his trials and tribulations and his eventual failure and inability to ever move up economically or socially in society. My friend said taht while in class discussing the book, some students said that this man was ultimately a failure because he couldn't succeed. My friend also said that it was a bit ironic since all the students were white, but also shocking to many of the rest of the students and the professor. The whole point of the book was taht he arrived with all the skills neccessary to succeed but because the system was so fucked up, he still ended up, unfortunately, a hopeless failure.

With this line of reasoning, I've been thinking about how it is in America now. It really does FEEL like racism and oppression isn't directly affecting us. But on some deeper level, I feel like it still does and we are all still part of the system that favors the white male. I look at our political leaders and that's all i see. old white men. I look at the richest ppl in america. old white men. And I wonder, have we already made the progress neccessary so that all people have the same opportunity to succeed. I figure, if you have the opportunity but you dont capitalize on it, that's your fault. But if you are given a equal chance, then its fair. if your given an unequal chance when someone is given even more, thats unfair. What do you think? Do you feel like you, and I can succeed in america? do you feel as asians in the communities we've grown up in, and the connections we have, we can succeed as much as the white man?

I feel like I'm losing my strain of thought. I shouldn't write stuff like this at like nearly 5am in the morning. im goin to stop here for now