History Of Racism Class Reflection 2015
History of Racism: Final Thoughts
By Alyssa Szczelina
11-13-14
Based on what I have learned in class, it is pretty clear to me that racism is still very prevalent in today’s American culture. The beliefs of our ancestors are still being force fed to children born in modern times. The issue is, we aren’t even fully aware that we are doing it. Racism is found everywhere in America. It’s not even limited to just America. Racism is found in every crevice you can imagine. It’s found within cities, communities, even families. There is a plethora of it on the media, social platforms, internet, books, advertisements, and much more. Racism is literally everywhere. Ready for closed minds to soak it up like a sponge. How deep is Racism in today’s society? We are all swimming in it. If you can’t see it all around you, you are probably the one helping it remain, tainting our minds, holding us back from love, unity, and respect.
Unfortunately, its not very likely that racism will disappear within my lifetime. Racism is one of those things that can be established and adopted easily, yet it takes forever and a day to chip away at it even a little bit. People in minority groups are still struggling with the injustices that happened to their ancestors 148 years ago. We still have such a long way to go. Our society is soaked in racism, and it’s up to the heart and soul of each individual person to help wring it out, and let all of it just flow down the drain. We have to open our minds and our hearts, stop accepting outdated ways of thinking, and embrace and lift each other up in unity. Otherwise, we will never see the end of racism.
I believe that the most influential learning tool for me was the visual aids, such as movies, videos, etc. Movies such as Fruitvale Station and American History X really impacted me because of the blunt and gruesome nature of these films. It really reminds me of just how sugarcoated racism is within our society for all but those who have to deal with it first hand. It reminds me that these people are real people, with lives, families, dreams, passions, interests, hope. They are not just a “black dude” or a “hindu”. It makes me think, it makes it clear to me that all we are lacking is some compassion, love, respect, and a sense of unity and oneness. We let our ego and other’s ideas get stuck inside of our head, instead of thinking for ourselves. We have been conditioned to close our minds and look the other way to injustice. I will always keep in mind that we are all human, we are all flesh and bone, we are all one.
I love the realistic depictions of racism in current times. It’s not sugarcoated or edited. It’s real and it’s raw, and I can appreciate that. That’s the kind of stuff that gets into people’s heads and makes them think. We need more of that in classrooms across America, not just textbooks. We need to enrage students, make them upset, make them FEEL SOMETHING, and most importantly THINK. For that we have, raw footage, testimonies, movies, and conversations with people that deal with this everyday. And I was lucky enough to experience those things in this class. Not get all caught up in work, or textbooks. This class is perfect, and all that I ask is that it is kept real, and never edited to appease the close minded ideals of educational boards and corrupted lawmakers. Racism isn’t pretty, so it should never be shown as so, especially to the kids who can make all the difference.
By Alyssa Szczelina
11-13-14
- 1.) Based on what you have learned from this class, where is racism found in America today, and how deep does it go into our American society?
Based on what I have learned in class, it is pretty clear to me that racism is still very prevalent in today’s American culture. The beliefs of our ancestors are still being force fed to children born in modern times. The issue is, we aren’t even fully aware that we are doing it. Racism is found everywhere in America. It’s not even limited to just America. Racism is found in every crevice you can imagine. It’s found within cities, communities, even families. There is a plethora of it on the media, social platforms, internet, books, advertisements, and much more. Racism is literally everywhere. Ready for closed minds to soak it up like a sponge. How deep is Racism in today’s society? We are all swimming in it. If you can’t see it all around you, you are probably the one helping it remain, tainting our minds, holding us back from love, unity, and respect.
- 2.) Will racism disappear in your lifetime? What are the steps necessary to erase it from our society?
Unfortunately, its not very likely that racism will disappear within my lifetime. Racism is one of those things that can be established and adopted easily, yet it takes forever and a day to chip away at it even a little bit. People in minority groups are still struggling with the injustices that happened to their ancestors 148 years ago. We still have such a long way to go. Our society is soaked in racism, and it’s up to the heart and soul of each individual person to help wring it out, and let all of it just flow down the drain. We have to open our minds and our hearts, stop accepting outdated ways of thinking, and embrace and lift each other up in unity. Otherwise, we will never see the end of racism.
- 3.) What was the most meaningful learning for you in this class? Explain what you learned or experienced and what impact it might have on your thinking or actions.
I believe that the most influential learning tool for me was the visual aids, such as movies, videos, etc. Movies such as Fruitvale Station and American History X really impacted me because of the blunt and gruesome nature of these films. It really reminds me of just how sugarcoated racism is within our society for all but those who have to deal with it first hand. It reminds me that these people are real people, with lives, families, dreams, passions, interests, hope. They are not just a “black dude” or a “hindu”. It makes me think, it makes it clear to me that all we are lacking is some compassion, love, respect, and a sense of unity and oneness. We let our ego and other’s ideas get stuck inside of our head, instead of thinking for ourselves. We have been conditioned to close our minds and look the other way to injustice. I will always keep in mind that we are all human, we are all flesh and bone, we are all one.
- 4.) What’s the best thing about this class and what needs to improve to make it better next time? Explain your answer.
I love the realistic depictions of racism in current times. It’s not sugarcoated or edited. It’s real and it’s raw, and I can appreciate that. That’s the kind of stuff that gets into people’s heads and makes them think. We need more of that in classrooms across America, not just textbooks. We need to enrage students, make them upset, make them FEEL SOMETHING, and most importantly THINK. For that we have, raw footage, testimonies, movies, and conversations with people that deal with this everyday. And I was lucky enough to experience those things in this class. Not get all caught up in work, or textbooks. This class is perfect, and all that I ask is that it is kept real, and never edited to appease the close minded ideals of educational boards and corrupted lawmakers. Racism isn’t pretty, so it should never be shown as so, especially to the kids who can make all the difference.
Dear Charlie, you've changed my life.
Dear Charlie,
“So this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.” For every ounce of happiness I am granted, I am given a gallon of sadness and negativity to wash it down with. I don’t know Charlie. It’s almost like I’m becoming more and more scared of being happy because I know that something will come around and ruin it. But, I still embrace whatever emotions that decide to come up, because I would just rather feel SOMETHING. It’s like when you had all those great times with Sam and Patrick and all of the others, but then they all left you and went to college. Happiness comes quietly and unexpectedly, and sadness comes barging in, and stays until it’s satisfied with torturing you. I can’t really give you any detailed examples of when I’ve felt like that because I want to keep your idea of who I am and what I’m like, pretty vague. I just feel like right after something really good happens in my life, something really negative and saddening happens directly after it. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it, but one thing is definite, it’s very confusing. I guess I’ll be on a lifelong journey to figure it out. Some people pray, or they blame other people. I don’t do that because I know that this is my life, and the things that torture my mind or break my heart are my business and my responsibility. I like the way you say things Charlie. This quote describes exactly how I feel and you didn’t even have to try that hard. I’m not sure what I should do about this whole thing though. Some would suggest that I enjoy the positive parts, and take the negative parts with a grain of salt. But they don’t understand that it’s extremely difficult to stay happy when something is constantly raining on your parade. They probably don't even take their own advice. I think this quote matters though, because it shows how you struggle with conflicting emotions inside of your head, and how that can make everything a lot harder for a kid in high school. It makes you human, that quote. I chose to write to you about this because I feel like these conflicting feelings are becoming a big issue in my life, and the quote describes exactly how I feel, so I thought I’d write about it. I’m not sure if you know this Charlie, but your words mean so much to me. Especially this particular quote, because it makes me feel understood, not alone, and it makes me feel like what I think and feel is not so insignificant. I feel like I have a friend in you. I feel like I can talk to you, and you will listen and understand and not think I’m just another weird, stupid high school girl. I hope it’s okay for me to think that. You see, everyone in my world is too busy living in their own heads to even see the things in front of them, but I think that you see those things, and you care for them, and you understand. You just….. get it. I guess those are just some of the perks of being a wallflower. I will talk to you sometime soon Charlie. Until then, I will be dreaming of Patrick and trying to figure out what all of the chaos in my head means. Love Always, Alyssa.
“So this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.” For every ounce of happiness I am granted, I am given a gallon of sadness and negativity to wash it down with. I don’t know Charlie. It’s almost like I’m becoming more and more scared of being happy because I know that something will come around and ruin it. But, I still embrace whatever emotions that decide to come up, because I would just rather feel SOMETHING. It’s like when you had all those great times with Sam and Patrick and all of the others, but then they all left you and went to college. Happiness comes quietly and unexpectedly, and sadness comes barging in, and stays until it’s satisfied with torturing you. I can’t really give you any detailed examples of when I’ve felt like that because I want to keep your idea of who I am and what I’m like, pretty vague. I just feel like right after something really good happens in my life, something really negative and saddening happens directly after it. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about it, but one thing is definite, it’s very confusing. I guess I’ll be on a lifelong journey to figure it out. Some people pray, or they blame other people. I don’t do that because I know that this is my life, and the things that torture my mind or break my heart are my business and my responsibility. I like the way you say things Charlie. This quote describes exactly how I feel and you didn’t even have to try that hard. I’m not sure what I should do about this whole thing though. Some would suggest that I enjoy the positive parts, and take the negative parts with a grain of salt. But they don’t understand that it’s extremely difficult to stay happy when something is constantly raining on your parade. They probably don't even take their own advice. I think this quote matters though, because it shows how you struggle with conflicting emotions inside of your head, and how that can make everything a lot harder for a kid in high school. It makes you human, that quote. I chose to write to you about this because I feel like these conflicting feelings are becoming a big issue in my life, and the quote describes exactly how I feel, so I thought I’d write about it. I’m not sure if you know this Charlie, but your words mean so much to me. Especially this particular quote, because it makes me feel understood, not alone, and it makes me feel like what I think and feel is not so insignificant. I feel like I have a friend in you. I feel like I can talk to you, and you will listen and understand and not think I’m just another weird, stupid high school girl. I hope it’s okay for me to think that. You see, everyone in my world is too busy living in their own heads to even see the things in front of them, but I think that you see those things, and you care for them, and you understand. You just….. get it. I guess those are just some of the perks of being a wallflower. I will talk to you sometime soon Charlie. Until then, I will be dreaming of Patrick and trying to figure out what all of the chaos in my head means. Love Always, Alyssa.
Why is The Question, But Are we Prepared for The Answer? (My interpretation of the Boston Bombings for the Turning Point newspaper)
It's sad that it takes so many tragic endings and broken families for people to open their eyes. Maybe that's because people aren't getting the full picture. They realize what's going on after it has happened, but they know nothing of what made the people responsible commit such horrible acts. Everybody knows that Dylan and Klebold, Holmes, Lanza, and Tsarnaev all committed these acts of violence and destruction, but barely anyone knows why. I will admit, it is very hard to know the exact reason why they did it and to prevent things from happening in the future, but we can at least try. It all starts from childhood. These people's mindset depends on how they were raised, and other people's influences. Tamerlan Tsarneav, the man responsible for the Boston bombing, had grown to have certain tendencies and a certain mindset. This was caused by the thoughts and influences of his mother and father. They raised him to think that it was his life's duty to do this, and that it is okay to kill. Because he grew up with that thinking all of his life, he didn't know any better. I am not trying to justify his actions, I am just trying to explain that for every effect, there is a cause to go along with it. Every thought or action has it's roots. Just like all of the other "terrorists" or "shooters", they had a certain mindset, and they didn't know any different. They probably didn't learn any morals, or maybe all of the wrong ones, and they probably didn't develop a sense pf wrong and right. The consequences of their actions didn't cross their minds. The people around you shape you into who you are, they influence your decisions. These people were shaped and molded by the wrong sculpters. They did not think of the devastating effects of their violence. It is very unfortunate that this happened, and it will impact families forever. There is not much we can do but worry our own safety. Maybe we will never know the truth behind this tragedy. Whether it be a sick thought that led to action, or a part of something more sinister, such a government conspiracy. Who knows?