America Wanted to Kill Us: A Cry Out from a Black Family

America is known as the land of opportunity and a place where some can experience what is called the American Dream. However, for people that look like me, those descriptions don’t quite resonate with our lived experiences in the place we once called home.

Since I was a little boy, I never really understood why there was a difference between Black and white people, what those differences were, and what they meant. Growing up in a poor neighborhood in Missouri, a red state in the Midwest, I would surely find out. Breaking down those terms and trying to understand what they really mean was a harsh lesson.

The definition of opportunity is a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something. So, what circumstances does America make possible for someone who looks like me? Would I be treated as a human, or was that just a part of my American Dream? Having to fight for laws and rules meant to protect me from those who don’t look like me makes you feel like you are less than human. Nothing comes easy, and very little is given in this land of dreams. We have been fighting to be considered human from the beginning of this country in 1783 and are still fighting to this very day in 2024.

From the attack on the Natives of America to the enslavement of Africans, America has not been kind to people who look like me. Growing up knowing I would never be treated equally and would not have the same opportunities as others who don’t look like me was very stressful and created a lot of fear for me and those like me. Never being accepted, called hurtful names, and destined to be beaten or murdered by the police just for being yourself was always a reality.

Our neighborhoods were set up to be death traps. Everyone was pitted against one another in our community because of drugs and competition. The systemic division ran deep, even among us. Lighter-skinned Blacks were often pitted against darker-skinned Blacks because lighter-skinned Blacks received better treatment, reminiscent of the times of slavery when they got to stay in the house with the Master.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Army used blowers on top of buildings and in the backs of station wagons to spray a potential carcinogen into the air surrounding a St. Louis housing project where most residents were Black. By the 1970s, Planned Parenthood started targeting our communities with abortion services. In the 1980s, AIDS and crack cocaine were spread through our neighborhoods, further devastating our people.

Now, the war on real food has begun. Fast food places have popped up everywhere, mostly in our communities, offering cheap options aimed at those who can't afford the high prices of real food. These chains mostly serve food with little to no nutritional value. Grocery stores in low-income areas carry food that, if nutritious, is high-priced, and the fruits and vegetables available are often of very low quality, sprayed with dangerous pesticides. This leads to widespread health issues like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and colon cancer. To live well and healthy means to be rich in America.

Tired of fighting, tired of being attacked and not accepted, we grew weary of the endless struggle. Despite all the changes over the years, the fundamental issues remained, merely taking new forms. This harsh reality compelled us to seek a different life, far from the constant turmoil and danger. Moving to Costa Rica became our escape—a chance to embrace 'Pura Vida' in the happiest country in the world. Here, we aspire to find peace and genuine opportunity, free from the systemic oppression that plagued our lives in America.

Costa Rica is everything we thought it would be and more. Everyone is so loving, caring, and helpful. It's nothing like what I was shown in America about what a third-world country would be like. The beautiful trees, landscaping, and delicious healthy options make it a paradise. Most dangerous foods are not allowed in Costa Rica. If you can find American food here, it is very high-priced, and the healthy foods are low-priced like they should be. Governments should protect their citizens not just from outside enemies but from the ones inside as well.