Equality for African Americans After writing my newspaper article on the NAACP, I realized that the African American community needed a renewed sense of belonging, as all others do community nowadays. This sense of being is better known as equality. Webster's dictionary defines equality as having the same rights, social status, and opportunities as others. The African American community has yet to reach a plateau where they are seen as equals. Equal opportunities for African Americans is still a foreign topic, but hopefully it will progress in the future. Other ethnicities are trapped in the 1800s and cannot see African Americans as anything other than low-income, ignorant, materialistic individuals who only value things that cost more than they earn. Which is exactly the opposite, because most African Americans live in middle class neighborhoods, are college educated, and don't spend all their money on the new pair of Jordans. These perceptions have greatly hindered the race, to the point where recently at Barneys, a renowned department store; discrimination has been brought back to the forefront in America. Barneys was said to profile their black customers, under the false assumption that their African American customers could not afford what they purchased. Thus causing them to take "precautionary measures" by informing the police. Winsor writes, “The officer allegedly accused him of purchasing the belt with a fraudulent card.” This act by the department store supergiant and police officer led the African American community to rally together to eradicate discrimination and demand equality. We need to take a look at history and see why African Americans are treated this way...in the middle of paper......to be prevented. To prevent this discrimination from leaking out again we must stop people's prejudices against African Americans. Prejudice can be defined as biologically similar people having strong beliefs that cause them to discriminate against another object (Pearson). Prejudices start from the home where the child grew up and continually grows until they reach adulthood, then the cycle continues and is passed down from generation to generation. To stop the cycle of prejudice and move toward the goal of equality, we can eliminate stereotypes that destroy others' perceptions of African Americans by making it known that we are all one race: the human race. African Americans should not be defined by their complexion but rather by the good they have brought to the world. Let it be known that we are all equal and should be treated that way.