Trouble in Mind: To Be Black Is Blue in America
- My emotional response to IBé’s experiences were that I felt bad for his life and what he went through. Looking at life now, I sometimes take life for granted without realizing what people back in the day really had to go through. A personal experience that I have had growing up took place back in elementary school. My ethnicity is of Latino and this was something that students back in the day believed that if you were of Latino decent, you were considered not smart. With that I really sought out being better than what people believed and I achieved that even to today. I am accomplishing many things that I would not have thought of back in the day. It really is kind of extraordinary what the world has come to and how we treat each other.
- By IBé’s quote, I believe that he is saying that to be of the black race or a minority, you are constantly being battled all over the place. People are against you and they do not care about what happens to you. Sometimes you just don’t have any idea why the world is the way it is and this is what he was talking about “losing your mind.”
Microaggressions in the Classroom
- I have seen many forms of microaggression in my life through school and life. One form of it would be when I was back in high school where there was one kid in my history class who was constantly picking on this one kid who was from another country saying things that I know were not polite in any way. I felt bad for this student so I talked with my teacher after class was out and it was all fixed afterward. Just a simple act can fix a problem from getting worse.
- It is extremely important for all students to feel comfortable and welcome in a classroom. In order for a student to succeed and pursue their passion, they have be able to feel like they are a part of the community and be able to feel comfortable adapting to the environment that they are in. If they are not allowed access to these sort of things, that student will not be able to feel like they are wanted in the classroom. They will not feel passionate about what they are studying and ultimately will not do well because of it.
Do Conversations About Race Belong in the Classroom?
- My high school that I went to was about 80% diverse which I believe was really amazing because it allowed all of us to collaborate and get to know what each race/ethnicity was about. I am half white and half Latino so I live on both sides of the race factor. In the United States, being white allows some privileges especially in jobs and school. You are more likely to be hired if you are white in some cases and in school, you are seen as the popular kids. So, race does have some privilege in everyday life here in the United States.
- Definitely, race should be talked about in our school. It is important because it should not belong in our society. Even though segregation and discrimination are outlawed in today’s society, there is still a problem with race. Not everyone is allowed equal rights and it is a problem still with today’s world. Life would so much simpler if we just gave up the idea of race and treated everyone as an equal human being.