"Everyone Deserves a Second Chance" Doesn't Seem to Apply to Everyone

Everyone deserves a second chance. That's the statement we often say when it comes to making up for past mistakes, no matter how big or small they are. I have always believed that everyone deserves a second chance, literally everyone. The problem is that some members of society are quite selective when it comes to that, and even worse, such selection is shown to be racially motivated.

Let me map out this scenario. Two people, one White, one Black, commit the same crime. Each one is arrested, put in jail, serves their time, and is released back into society. Now, any fair-minded person would see both of them as trying to make up for their mistakes and become better. Sadly, that isn't the case. Here's how the White ex-con would be treated:

"This person did their time, they made a mistake, they know they were wrong. Let's all move on and help this person get back on their feet; this is a true redemption story. And we need to help them get employed."

Very sweet, right? But here's how the Black ex-con would be treated:

"How is this person out of jail?! This system is so flawed! This person is a threat to our good-valued society! Criminals like that should be locked up for life!"

Actually, any person of color would be treated with such bias like this, but even so, that's pretty much how it is. When any person of color makes any mistake, no matter how big or small it is, it's a brand for life forced upon by society. People will remind everyone within earshot of what that person has done, even if it was decades prior, it will be mentioned like it happened yesterday. Just ask this man:

Michael Vick was, for many years, one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL. Vick played for 13 seasons, mostly with the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles, but as we all know, Vick was revealed to be connected to a dog fighting ring back in 2007. He went through the legal ordeal from 2007 through 2009, which saw Vick plead guilty to one charge while a second one was dropped. Vick has spent the last decade-plus redeeming himself from all of that, but here's the problem: people still dwell on it, even to this day. I'm dead serious on this, if Vick was a White person, we would all be asked to move on from his past, and anyone who even says one syllable about his mistakes would be lambasted.

A lot of times, it doesn't even have to be criminal activity. It can be other kinds of mistakes, or simply just content of character; how you conduct yourself. Here's another prime example (also in sports):

We all know the story about Antonio Brown. One of the best receivers in the league. The problem is: he knows it. We know about the many times he often whined about not getting the ball during his last years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. We know about how he was signed by the then-Oakland Raiders and then literally talked his way off that team. We know all of his problems. But look at him now. He's with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he has a Super Bowl ring. You know what we've seen from AB since then? Well, it's what we haven't seen. No tantrums, no arrogant behavior, no shenanigans, no nothing.

Antonio Brown knows that he was damn lucky to be back in the NFL with any team, let alone a Super Bowl Champion--which he also contributed to. Because of these factors, I truly see AB as someone who is really trying to better himself. Sadly, we don't see any other shows of open-mindedness, as society refuses to see AB as someone who is bettering himself, and they continue to dwell on his bad qualities. I can't help but feel that the treatment of AB would be a lot more positive if he didn't have so much melanin. The fact that Gregg Williams has had many different coaching jobs since being exposed as the mastermind of the infamous "Bountygate" proves my point.

The bottom line is this: as I've said before, everyone deserves a second chance. But let's put that emphasis on that first word: everyone. Don't be selective about it, and for goodness sakes, don't be racially divisive about it, either.