Discrimination

      Intersectionality may be a concept you are unfamiliar with, yet most of modern Americans, face some aspects of this obscure term in their lifetime. It is described within the Google dictionary as “the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual…regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.” For example, when we look at different women’s rights activists, we see that they are fighting against the inequality in gender imbalances. This can also be broken further into how these women are treated depending on their age, what their ethnicity is, how they choose to identify themselves, or the religion they choose to practice, (as these are just a few classic examples.) Whether you can recognize a few of these and apply them to yourself, or all of them, it is important to realize that it is a complex and sensitive issue that effects different people in all parts of the world. (Even though I chose to focus heavily on discrimination, I think it is important for the reader to acknowledge the convoluted background involving intersectionality, and how discrimination is but a factor of the complex problem.) Discrimination in itself, can take many forms, but it is our obligation as aware individuals to independently or collectively eradicate and minimize the issues that arise from this problem.

 

       I think that in order to better understand the present situation we face today, we have to look to the past for answers. In the documentary series, Eyes on the Prize, the viewer is able to see what the past of America was truly like, and the way African American’s were treated in the South. The main feeling I experienced when watching these episodes or reading well known novels like The Help, is utter disbelief. How can our society have acted this way just a mere fifty years ago? How could we have had our first black president just 8 years ago and why hasn't there been a female president? How could anyone treat another human being as if they are below or above them, just because of the color of their skin? This was the same time period man went to the moon and doctors applied the first heart transplants, yet through all of this, people in the South were still encouraging segregation caused by fear. Overall we had come a long ways scientifically, but in social aspects, we hadn’t come far at all. Even though the year now is 2016, discrimination and racism is everywhere, which is why I feel we need to recognize it when we see it. Sometimes, I know it can be difficult to see whether or not the steps we take towards a goal are actually assisting in change. Nevertheless, whether it is speaking out to the public, spreading awareness, or writing a letter about the issue, you are aiding in the fight against discrimination. As Thurgood Marshal stated in the documentary Eyes on the Prize: Fighting Back, "You can’t over throw the prejudice of 300 years over night...the emancipation proclamation was issued in… 1863, 99 years ago. I do believe in gradualism, but I believe 99 years is pretty gradual." That is why dear reader, I ask of you to realize that no matter how big or small your contribution is towards diminishing the metamorphic walls of discrimination, built on an old foundation, it is still making a momentous difference, and I commend you for doing so. If we can support each other and encourage equality in the classroom, the work place, among our family and friends, or even more so, our community, we are learning to work collectively (which is something I think Highline College practices, as well as several other school across the state and country.)

 

      Personally, I tend to think about racism and discrimination a lot and how there are so many different views and tactics when it comes to approaching it. As for myself, being of a mixed race, it can be difficult for other people to correctly identify what my ethnicity is or what I associate with. Depending on where I am or who I am with, people tend to see me differently and it can be hard to blend in or fit the common stereotypes laid down before me. Also, being a young lady and a high school student, I tend to think about intersectionality too, which is all very interwoven and complex. I clearly remember the times when I was in grade school and the other children use to ask me blunt yet innocent questions like, “You are not white?” I didn’t understand why that really mattered or if that changed their opinion about me, (just because I have a light complexion.) However, I am who I am and I don't need to feel like I have to explain or change myself to fit in. I just look at it as way to emphasize my individuality and uniqueness.

 

      Thinking back as a young child, I do not recall my school teaching us much about slavery or the Civil Rights movement as a whole, but I do however, clearly recall discussing Rosa Parks and M.L.K. They appear to be seen as some of the most popular figures standing up for black rights, (even though several other men and women contributed to the revolution.) Malcolm X for example, had a very different approach to achieving equality as opposed to M.L.K. Jr., one of his most famous quotes is “By any means possible;” (which in a way, contradicts Martin Jr’s. “non-violence” proposal.) Overall, fundamental rights are important, as they are the corner stone to a domestic society. However, it is crucial to define it with a sense of balance and order; otherwise, excess application of Civil Rights can also bring chaos on both sides of the argument. I also believe that in terms of dealing with intersectionality and discrimination, we should strike it early on, at the roots. As a student taking Psychology 100, I learned a lot of information about social influence and social situations that anyone can apply. For instance, rather than just having young children play with the classic blond hair, blue eyes, skinny Barbie doll, we should introduce a variety of different children’s toys in order to create an accepting atmosphere. In the classroom, we should teach these children that both men and women can peruse any career they choose as they are equals. We can break and destroy the “glass ceiling” barrier if we focus our efforts towards eliminating stereotypes that contribute to intersectionality and discrimination.

 

         It is true that we have come a long ways since the corrupted times of slavery or the violent times of segregation, and we should celebrate the change that has occurred since then. In the past fifty years, the prejudice and fierce hatred on the minorities in America has been steadily decreasing. The “old-fashion” discrimination, is no longer acceptable with it’s segregation and prevention of voting rights. However, we need to acknowledge that our work is far from done. A new type of discrimination has unsurfaced in our present day society and it is characterized by it’s subtly and caution; people seem to express their negative opinions when they feel it is "safe" to do so. As I mentioned earlier, we need to observe the numerous forms that intersectionality and discrimination takes on and confront it. We can learn to educate and inform others as well ourselves, by examining the past, what we can do to push change today, what other cultures, traditions, and customs are about, and how to challenge social dominance. Even though many people today have been faced with negative experiences of sexism, religionism, racism, ageism, social class, sexual orientation, and discrimination, with each and every change (little or big,) that worked towards justice and righteousness for all, has sparked a new flame of hope that ignites a transformation. Through years of continuous progress, even up to today, we continue to search for that proper balance in equality and rudimentary rights. When I hear songs like Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang” or Ella Fitzgerald’s “Strange Fruit,” I’m once again reminded of the great change that swept over the American nation from the days of human imprisonment, and the modern struggle that still persists in today’s society.

 

  Dear reader, I wanted to personally thank you for taking the time to read my letter to you, and I only hope it was worth your time. If anything, by writing this letter I was only hoping to achieve in the opportunity to inspire and inform others on the issues that plague our world today.

 

Sincerely,

Miss Baker