|
 |
WRITE FOR YOUR RIGHTS: TAKE A STAND AGAINST DISCRIMINATION ESSAY CONTEST
First Place Winner: Alison Desir, age 16, Teaneck, NJ
Part I
I often hear my parents talk about how much more dangerous things are for kids now as opposed to the way things were in the past. Usually my response is nothing more than a rolling of my eyes and tuning them out. However, more and more I have begun to see that at least on the question of discrimination, while things have seemingly gotten better, the prejudices that are now exhibited are much subtler and in that sense more dangerous. After all, one cannot fight what one cannot see.
The things you hear nowadays could really make you chuckle. It's quite comical actually. All my life growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, fitting in was never a priority of mine. I would go to school, sit in class with all white kids, play after school with all white kids, and never really think twice about the fact that perhaps I did not fit in. It was only when I switched schools in the 6th grade that I began to discover the inherent racism that lies within each of us.
My new school was again predominantly white, which I was used to, but the situations I faced were unlike those I had in the past. To my disadvantage, of course, being a minority at my new school, I was the brunt of much of this racism. Now, I honestly can't say that there is more racism in my high school than in others. Perhaps, I just became aware of the racism upon entering 6th grade because I had become more mature. Maybe I had in fact experienced the same amount of racism in the past but, blinded by the ignorance of my innocence, did not pay attention to the prejudice. However, now with my eyes wide open and in full awareness of what goes on around me, it is disturbing, disheartening and appalling to be aware of all the racism in my very "safe" community.
It is surprising at times what comments are actually made. I have been asked if black people tan, as though we are some group of outer space aliens that have no pigment and thus lack the ability to tan. I have been told that of course I can sing as well as I can, I'm black. I have endured various comments alluding to the notion that blacks act a certain way, dress a certain way, listen to a certain type of music, etc. These comments have led me to doubt myself and to seek to change the way in which black people are perceived. Is it true that all blacks act a certain way? Perhaps I should throw away my Dr. Dre CD or my Whitney Houston tape so that I can go against the stereotype, or am I just another one of "them," black folk who do as they are "supposed" to? Maybe I should let my hair go natural and disclose who I really am: a black woman with nappy hair just trying to fit in with the white folk. But, you see, what always stops me from changing who I am is knowing that there is nothing wrong with me. I am not the victim, I am the victor.
Part II
These experiences in high school, in a sense, have been my blessing in disguise. I have faced adversity for quite some time now, and have come out on top. I have been presented with prejudice and unfair judgments and have handled myself. It no longer bothers me when I hear a fellow minority or white person say, "what's up nigga?" I don't feel the need to respond with fighting words, for I have learned that words and stereotypes are not who I am. I am a black woman living in a society that has not seen me in a favorable light in the past and has tried to cage me in by setting limits on my expression, but I will continue to struggle until genuine progress is made. Thankfully I have been thrown in with "the other" and have come out fighting for who I am while disproving statistics and theories. Of this I am sure.
The more I think about the discrimination I have faced in the past, however, the more I wonder about how to stop discrimination. I, too, have found myself exhibiting certain prejudices. Recently, I accompanied one of my friends to a camp for people with disabilities where she was working. It was upon entering the building that I realized I was guilty of the same prejudices that I have dealt with all my life. I went the whole day with an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, but an even more uncomfortable feeling in my mind for having been so shallow in the past. I thought of all the times I had laughed at some joke about a retarded kid, or didn't stop from making a rude comment about someone in a wheelchair. Now, I was there, face-to-face with those whom I had laughed at, and was seeing that there was nothing funny about it. After that first day of working, I came home and had a long talk with my parents and then later really thought to myself why it was that I had felt such discomfort. It became very clear to me then that one of the reasons was because I had never been exposed to people with disabilities. Perhaps if people of different races/sexual orientations/sexes/abilities/disabilities were exposed to each other, this would put an end to some of the shock one feels when seeing the "other" for the first time. If I had lived my life with a person who was retarded, it would not have come as such a shock to me when I went to work that day. While this is much easier said that done, I think just being with people of other races, etc., would build tolerance and acceptance.
A second idea that I have for ending discrimination has to do with changing how the media portrays certain groups of people. The media has a great deal of influence over our attitudes and opinions, and I feel that if there were more responsible depictions and images of how we are "supposed" to act, this would only lead to more responsible judgments about other people. Many of the prejudices people my age have are not conscious ones. Unlike in the past where there were signs saying "No Coloreds" and so on, the discrimination you encounter now is subtler. This subtlety makes discrimination harder to fight.
Many people who attest to being liberal would be disgusted if they were to have a son or daughter who was gay or who was involved with someone of a different race. For this reason, I will strive to be more aware of the things that I say, and to question the validity of what I hear before I accept it. As I have done in the past, I will continue to write in my school newspaper, my town newspaper, remain a strong member of my school's Cultural Diversity club, and continue to fight to affect change. The only way to end this age-old problem is by taking little steps at a time.
|
|
|
|
