There was an ugly time in our history when racism was out in the great wide open; it affected every scope of mankind, regardless of race. On one side, it produced pride but on the other hand, it created a fatally sick environment of fear, propaganda and lies that still ricochets in our society today. Many generations later, many families of all races-especially in the Deep South- are still trying to heal the wounds, long after after their ancestors have passed.

And even today, the sick undercurrent of racism still exists-although covert, but it still exists. And even though there are new targets of racism’s fury-the old ways still remain.

In places like Germany, for instance-still recovering from the memories of Hitler’s reign, skinhead groups have terrorised immigrant villages, pillaging, injuring-and even killing people. For those who lived in the 20th century, who remembered the climate created during Hitler’s rule, times have not changed and the wounds have yet to heal.

All a person has to do is to look at history, and we’ll be able to see what happens when fear mixes with propaganda.

During Hitler’s time, for instance, Europe’s economy was at an all-time low. Unemployment was at nearly 25 percent, and inflation was doubled-perfect conditions for someone like Hitler to step in.

His process of elimination was simple- to promote Aryan pride by using a scapegoat- the Jewish people.

Through a well-oiled propaganda machine, Hitler instituted a plan designed to destroy the Jewish influence in Europe, and Germany in particular. It ended with the death of over six million Jews, immigrants and people Hitler considered ‘undesirables.’

D.W. Griffith’s 1916 film, Birth of a Nation, was another propaganda machine designed to present blacks in America as ‘savages’ that couldn’t be tamed. In the film, the blacks are portrayed as ravagers of white women and the Ku Klux Klan as heroes.

Membership in the Klan grew to an all-time high due to the film and sadly, so did the riots and lynchings. The year 1922 was a very violent time in America, with a record 538 lynchings, mostly in the rural South.

Today, racism’s targets have expanded to include gays, lesbians, immigrants, the handicapped, sex offenders and many others. And in every case, the formula is the same: Create an environment of fear and distrust through propaganda, and you will have a climate where racism can thrive.

Education is the key to true understanding. It must start at a very young age- remember, that’s how tyrants like Hitler was able to recruit his army.

In order to create and environment where everyone can live freely and without fear, it requires an environment of understanding, tolerance and love. But together, our world will become a better world- for all of us.