Reflections by Ella In Wendy’s Hyphen-Nation video, Wendy, a woman with Chinese roots, tells the viewer about how in her middle school, there was one other Chinese boy in her grade. People would often say things such as “oh, they’re going to get married someday” most likely as a joke. Of course, Wendy didn’t find it very amusing. “And, it was someone playing a joke, but I remember feeling like, I have this huge set of friends, and they’re all great and everything, but there's always going to be that one thing that sets me apart, and that’s the way I look, and it’s my culture.” She realized that although she is an American, and although she has all these friends, she will never be treated exactly like them, and the only reason for that being her appearance. “ The feeling- the feeling of being not a hundred percent American, it’s sad, y’know, because I am. Born and raised here. So, why should I feel that way? But it’s literally because of the way I look.” In Sierra’s video, Sierra describes how when she was in college she did an international internship program, which meant there were lots of different people from different places who were also there. Sometimes they would all get together to meet one another and be able to talk. One time, she was talking to a couple of girls who were from Poland and when she told them she was American, they immediately said, “no you’re not”. They then pointed to some girls who were tall, blonde, and from California and said, “those girls are American.” “And I was just like- my heart sunk, because I’ve never had anyone try to hurt my feelings in that way, but also to try and deny my identity so to my face. Being an American is something that I love and I incredibly value, and to have someone try to take that away from me was just like- it was jarring.” Though Wendy and Sierra’s experiences may seem rather different, they both have things in common. Such as how they both faced cases of stereotyping. A common, oversimplified view or image of something, someone, etc. Wendy because people thought of her and the other boy getting together simply because they shared the same ethnicity, and Sierra because the group of girls decided that she couldn’t possibly be American because her skin was too dark to fit into their social construction, their idea created by society, made of Hollywood exports, which shaped their views of what an American is. They also both faced microaggressions, a comment that may or may not have had bad intentions, but is subtly racist. The girls from Poland probably didn’t realize that their quick conclusion was harmful, and as stated before, the people in Wendy’s middle school were simply joking about her and the boy. However, this doesn’t change the fact that these jokes were built up on no other factor than their race, a socially constructed term that is used to divide people into groups based on nothing more than their physical qualities. The things that made me most interested in these two videos would have to be how blatantly Sierra was denied the fact that she was American, and how clear Wendy made it that she feels like, because of her race, she will never entirely fit in amongst her friends. Despite how sad and angry I am because things like these happen, and will likely continue to happen even into the future, I can’t say I can relate to these stories. I’ve never had anyone tell me that I’m not something just because of the way I look, and I’ve never had anyone target me because of my race. I’ve also never really thought about how American exports affect how other countries view us, such as the movies and advertisements that were made here. I think it’s very important to have this unit in 8th grade, and I think that it should definitely be taught to next year’s 8th graders as well because it’s an important topic and showcases a real problem in our world which is very much still going on today, and will likely continue to go on, which is why it’s important to learn about it. So we can know the problem when we see it, and stop it once we do. *I am not Black. I do not know what it is like to be a Black man in America. This is my interpretation of the experiences the Black men shared.* In the video “A Conversation About Growing-Up Black” a handful of young Black men shared their views of race, experiences with racism, and who they are/want to be. In the video “A Conversation About Race with White People” a handful of White people shared their views on what they think race means and what their race means to them. The views of race are drastically different in the two videos. (n)Race. By definition: Each of the major groupings into which humankind is considered to be divided on the basis of physical characteristics or shared ancestry. R-A-C-E. Four very simple letters making one very complex word. In the video “A Conversation About Race with White People” they asked people what race meant to them. The first woman said race was not something she talked about and it made her uncomfortable. Another man said he didn’t want to offend anyone if he talked about it. “Talking about race is especially hard for White people because we don’t want to see the racism we may be holding on to,” explained the last woman. Overall none of the people in this video thought about their race on a daily basis. The White people in this video have the privilege not to think about their race. “As a Black man, we literally don’t feel free. We don’t know what freedom is.” Said Shaquell, a 22-year-old Black man. As White people, we do have the privilege to know what freedom feels like. Twenty-five-year-old Marvin shared a story about how he has experienced people’s implicit biases. He explained how he got to the point that he started counting how many times a woman would grab her purse when she walked by him. This microaggression showed her implicit bias. She reacted like he was a criminal that was going to steal her purse. The stereotype of a Black man is that he is dangerous and is in a gang. Marvin was once told by his teacher that he should take off his wrist band because it looked gang-affiliated. Another man, Bisa, explained that he always walked tall with his head up and tried to be as articulate as possible. He did this so he would not fit the typical Black stereotype. He doesn’t want people to preserve him as dangerous. At the end of the video “A Conversation About Growing Up Black,” the boys explain what they would like to tell other people. This part of the video stuck out to me the most. One of the boys, Maddox, said that he wanted to tell people that he “wasn’t going to hurt them or do anything bad.” Maddox is only ten-years-old and he is already worried that people will be scared of him because he is Black. When I was ten, I was worried if my shirt matched my pants. Another part of the video that stuck out to me was when Jumoke asked “How can I not be afraid (of cops) when I feel like I’m being hunted when I feel like I’m there to fill a quota?” We are told that we can always trust the cops and they are there to protect us. For many Black people, this is not the case. This unit was very educational for me. There is currently a lot of talk about race, implicit biases, and privilege. It is very helpful to know not only the definition of a word but the importance of it. I now feel I can have conversations about race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation without feeling uncomfortable or afraid that I will use the wrong vocabulary. I think they should offer this unit next year. Teaching kids about these things will help them be more accepting and empathetic. It may also help them become more comfortable talking about this subject. I would like to learn more about trans people and less common parts of the LGBTQ+ community. The term anti-racist can have a different meaning for different people. What anti-racist means to me is that you are not only against racism but actively trying to end it. “Actively” trying to end it can be posting on social media or going to protests. Sending letters to state/government officials is another way you can actively try and end racism. Doing little things such as correcting someone if they used a derogatory term or pointing out that something is racist. Before you do any of this, you should try and find your own implicit bias and try to correct them. The race I identify with is White. I do not think about my race very often; I have the privilege not to. My race helps me in ways I never think about. It helps me have a chance at a good education. It allows me to be able to call the police if I need to without being scared. Being White is an advantage I didn’t realize I had until I looked at the experiences of people who aren’t White. I live in a predominantly White town. Because of this, I have not witnessed a lot of racism or police brutality. This unit opened my eyes to all of these different experiences. By Megan
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