When I hear the word racism, negative thoughts begin to arise in my head. This topic seems to be a difficult topic to discuss especially with my African American peers. When this word begins to spill out of my mouth makes me feel uneasy. I don’t not like to create hostile words or actions because I am a firm believer in peace. The problem with the word racism is the reactions behind it. Many of us may say the wrong words towards others that are part of a different race. We may have no intention to harm them, but their hostility towards us may become stronger because of unintentional words that were said.
It isn’t easy to discuss the topic and issues of racism because there is no communication or openness to talk to one another about it. According to Dr. Lisa J. Cohen, Ph. D. , Racism is a specific form of prejudice, involving prejudicial attitudes or behavior towards members of an ethnic group. We all see people differently especially those of a different race than us. Even though we may label or stereotype different ethnic groups, we must understand why we do so. We have to understand that it is part of our psychological thinking and it affects each and every one of us despite our race.
No one likes to be offended by one another because it creates an aggressive environment. We all have the intention to have peace among one another and by doing that we create relationships. When strong relationships are created, most of us try to avoid discussing issues or ideas that may offend another person. This is not the right way to create a strong bond with another person because there is still a gap that should be filled in. The topic of racism and its surrounding thoughts should be changed because, the more people avoid discussing the topic, the more hostile the environment becomes.
Avoiding issues only makes things worse and that is the issue of racism. The issue of racism itself is not the problem, the issue of talking about it is the problem. We need to change this because more anger and resentment is developed. This is where relationships with one another are lost. We need more peace and less violence. It is important to acknowledge what needs to be discussed so that people around us can understand what kind of statement is going to be made. If we do this very thing, then the hostility level will decrease dramatically because there is communication and sincerity is ingested among each person.
We can only work our way forward one step at a time to create an open discussion. As if this may be uncomfortable for many people, it is definitely taking things to the next level and there will be progression in the relationships that may have been broken because of the wrong words or actions that might have been performed. Although we do not live in a perfect world and the issues behind racism will never be perfectly solved, we can definitely create change. This is not a change that comes lightly, it is a change that will have to be made through the creation of progress and unity among all of us.
We have to put our judgements aside and focus on what’s important. We have to find a goal or target that we want to reach in order to become successful. We cannot just wish for these problems to magically disappear because that is not how life works. Life isn’t fair and it will never be fair. We can only work by creating unity with one another to understand that fairness isn’t always going to come at us right away. It takes time and consistency to understand where each of us are going. Racial division is one of the leading issues in our generation because of the lack of communication between one another.
Communication is crucial to becoming successful in everything we accomplish. We cannot wait for that one “person” to pick up the stick and start talking, we must all pitch in to reach for that stick like we are fighting for our lives. Which in fact, we are fighting for end to issues that affect our lives greatly. It is important to understand that it takes an assembly of people or la community to come together and tackle our biggest issues. We can even move forward by uniting together as a city and region, but we have to understand what we are fighting for.
One of the biggest factors of racial division are the stereotypes that are being implied among each race. As a part of our psychological thinking, our brains are wired to create images or pictures of our ideal label towards a certain group of people. I often think about how unhealthy stereotypes are and how they can harm ourselves and others. Even though I know that I should not stereotype people, I still do it anyways because it is easier for me to narrow down a certain person to a specific group. I think all of us should be honest about how we stereotype people because that creates momentum in the cussion of racism.
It is so important to be honest about what we have to say about each other because understanding people around us will only become easier. My honest opinion or stereotypes that I have towards African Americans are athletic, entertaining, cheerful, and amusing. These words may sound like positive things that don’t seem to offend anyone, but there is a harsh reality behind those uplifting words. I also tend to describe African Americans as violent, crooks, fatherless, disrespectful, poor, and hurtful. These words are not easy to express because I know that I have immediately caused discomfort and anguish.
Words are very powerful and they can change a person’s life. This is why we are so cautious about the words that we chose to come out of our mouths. For as long as I can remember, I have always been afraid to hurt my African American friends and when I got myself into this topic, I did not have the guts to even write these words. It is important to understand what I am trying to do here, I am trying to create a spark in the discussion so that by the end of all of it, the flames will be bigger and brighter than anyone could imagine. All it takes is simple words, even if they are not easy to express.
Every successful outcome starts out with a difficult beginning and that is where we are right now. The words that I have used to describe my stereotype towards African Americans is something that I want to be wrong about and in many cases, that turns out to be true. Attending Christian Brothers College High School has greatly affected how I now view African Americans. Because of CBC’s rich tradition in Lasallian education which focuses on providing education for the poor, I have been exposed to a wide variety of African Americans students in my class and throughout my entire school.
Even though the social status of a majority of these kids may be true when I labeled them as poor, I still see something greater than that. I see something that completely undermines the stereotypes I have used. In a good majority of these students, I see them as hard working, friendly, entertaining, kind, and athletic. Many of these students want to be successful and I have truly believe that they have the skills and talents to get there. It isn’t always easy being part of an ethnic group that seems to generate a lot of negativity and that is also part of understanding where each of us come from when we label each other.
There is so much positive light that seems to outnumber all of the negative words and actions. As high school is coming to an end, I have to make a decision on where | want to go to school and what I want to study. I have always had an interest for science and the human body and how it works. I have always found myself wanting to have a career in healthcare. I decided that I wanted to expose myself and learn more about what life is like as a healthcare professional. I had a remarkable opportunity to shadow an urologist at Barnes Jewish Hospital. It was one of the most eye opening experiences that have ever had.
Dr. Arnold Bullock is someone who is truly unique and definitely stands out from the rest of the doctors around him. Dr. Bullock is an African American. This is so rare that according to the New York Times, only five percent of doctors in the United States are African American. This shows that he is a truly rare individual and he impacted healthcare in such a exceptional way. Dr. Bullock shared his journey of success with me and he has truly shown me that you can be different, you don’t have to be like everyone else around you and that is exactly what Dr. Bullock has done.
He has lived out his words and he has truly changed healthcare. Dr. Bullock graduated from Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore where he went on to complete his residency at Washington University in St. Louis. He has received numerous awards for his excellent work in the field of urology. He also has an endowed chair at Washington University which is the highest award that a university can bestow upon a faculty member. Dr. Bullock has dedicated a lot of his career not only teaching to medical students, but also bringing many African Americans to the field of healthcare across the country.
It is his goal to increase the percentage of African American doctors in the United States. He has accomplished numerous research studies which his colleagues and medical students across the country are praising him for. Dr. Bullock is a true example of someone who is so far outside of the picture of what we would label as African American. He has truly defied the odds as an African American medical student who worked hard to achieve a goal that he had set himself for many years.
He endured much torment and mockery while he was a medical student because at that time, African American medical students were almost unheard of. His hard work and determination despite being ridiculed has earned him one of the highest honors that doctor can receive. We of all people should look at Dr. Bullock as an example who we should look at before we begin to create stereotypes among specific ethnic groups. We should respect his bravery and courage that he has put forth while pursuing a career in medicine. That is not easy!
If many of us feel upset or lost about our direction or path in our life, we should look at what Dr. Bullock has done. We live in a world where nothing is perfect, nor will it ever be. We won’t be able to solve every single one of life’s problems. It takes a lot of strength and courage to get through the most difficult parts of life. Although every issue or problem involving racism will never be terminated, we can definitely slow down the pace of racial division. We can put an end to the little things that trigger larger and bigger things such as words that are spoken which triggers hostility towards one another.
It takes a great deal of faith for anyone who wants to solve these issues. This is exactly what needs to be done when discussing racism. It is so important to open up a discussion. Never in a million years did I ever think that I would talk to one of Washington University’s highly praised doctors and be able to discuss the issues of racial divide. I have already taken one step forward and it is so important that the rest of us do so. Hatred and violence is truly unnecessary in situations of racism. It only creates more problems and less solutions.
As a school, a community, a city and as a nation, we must unite together to create solution that will put an end to racial division because we cannot continue to be divided any longer. The golden rule calls for us to be kind to one another and treat each other as we would want to be treated. We can all use our skills, talents, intelligence, and courage to make this world a better place where all of us are united in harmony. We must remember that we are all brothers and sisters united in the dignity of humanity and we must protect it.
