I chose to write a poem to express the wide range of emotions that my mother felt while growing up during the 1970’s. As an Indonesian, her dark complexion often provoked intolerant people and caused her to live in fear. She watched people attack her family members and pets. She woke up to her house being egged and her garden being destroyed by her neighbors. She walked down the street with derogatory names screamed at her. All these experiences transformed her into the women she is today: strong, independent, and forgiving. Although she is treated fairly in today’s society, she observes undeserving hatred still occurs towards others. She is uncertain whether it will ever end. Nevertheless, she forgives everyone who was ever ignorant towards her.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Jeanette Nieters, Saint Louis, 1976. All rights reserved.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Jeanette Nieters and her husband, Place Unknown, 1985. All rights reserved.
I wrote this in the first-person point of view so the reader could witness what life was like in her shoes. Some of the literary devices that I chose to display her feelings were metaphors, hyperboles, rhyming patterns, and repetition. A metaphor is used in the first line: “My world was dark and gray.” By comparing the world to something dark, it elucidates that there is much evil in the world. During the night, especially when you’re restless, it seems like time is eternal and the light will never come, which compares to how she felt during her childhood. The use of the word “gray” refers to the dullness and formality of her society. People in the community, especially children, were accustomed to how their parents acted towards people of a different ethnicity. Because this was the custom, the community didn’t blink an eye at the mistreatment of ethnically dissimilar people. This concept is comparable to the play Rhinoceros, written by Eugène Ionesco in the 1960’s. In this play, people in society are urged to transform into a rhinoceros because everyone else is becoming one. The rhinoceroses represent the pressure to be part of a group, even if their views differ from yours, just for the sake of formality and sameness. The people in the town that my mom grew up in were, metaphorically, rhinoceroses because they conformed to what everyone else believed in without question. They believed that skin color determined how you should be treated, and there was no attempt to altercate that view at the time. All in all, in the poem, the use of the metaphor is effective because it creates an image in the reader’s mind and uses conceptual objects to convey a certain emotion. In this case, it’s a feeling of lifelessness.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Jeanette Nieters and her siblings, Saint Louis, 1981. All rights reserved.
Secondly, I used a hyperbole to emphasize the divergence between different races. In the fourth line of the fourth stanza, I ask why “colors always collide?”. Of course, this isn’t meant to be taken literally; people of different races don’t actually bump into each other. This line highlights the confusion of why one’s outward identity affects the way society treats them. We are the same species, we share the same blood, so why would it make a difference? In addition, the utilization of rhyme creates a rhythm and flow throughout the piece, which demonstrates the natural journey through life. There are highs and lows, but you eventually make it through. Lastly, I added the reiteration of the question, “Who is my friend?”, which is my mother questioning who is on her side and who she can depend on. At this point in her life, she realizes that diversity has helped her become a stronger person. She is proud of her nationality and considers it to be an advantage now.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Jeanette Nieters, Saint Louis, 1973. All rights reserved.
As her daughter, I have not experienced anything compared to what she has been through. Throughout middle school and high school, I used to get teased about my size since I was little for my age. However, I was never ridiculed for my Indonesian heritage. Society has profoundly improved in terms of the lack of prejudice, and it can easily be seen through the views of each generation that is born. I’m thankful that my mother’s experiences helped me to accept diversity in today’s world.
Rachel Nieters, Portrait of Rachel Nieters and Jeanette Nieters, Saint Louis, 2018. All rights reserved.
For the ones that stood on our soil, in the name of
righteousness.
How would you answer my question?
My friend, my enemy.
Driven by ignorance, they speak lies of us.
Driven by fantasies, they speak ill of us.
What else would be there to offer them?
Bitter truth? Virtuous suffering?
What say you,
My friend, my enemy.
I showed them my home, yet they won’t accept it.
I showed them my photographs, yet they deny them.
I showed them who I am, yet they do not see me.
I am nothing more than what they think.
How many years must we wait?
How many days and nights must come and go?
How many must we sacrifice?
Ah, my friend, my enemy. Must you look at me that way?
Please, smile.
Is it not something heroes do?
The interview with Khanh Bui sparked the fire for the creation of this poem. Khanh is a 24-year-old Vietnamese UMKC graduate who has lived in Kansas City, MO for the past 5 years. He has faced many challenges, from personal to legal. One of them is the generalization labeled on him based on his race and ethnicity. Something that he must face daily. The poem expresses the frustration, and anxiety he feels when those who do not know him label him in any way they want, but at the same time, the peace that he was able to develop throughout the years. “… I have learned to adapt to it. I have developed thick skin against those comments.” (18:35).
‘My Friend, My Enemy’ is a title I found fitting to represent Khanh’s relationship and feelings with those that surround him. The people live and coexist peacefully with Khanh, but deep inside, there is still the lingering thought of the Vietnam War, like a scar that has fully healed but will never leave. “Whenever I meet new people in the U.S, and I say where I’m from. I get polarizing reactions. It’s either fascination, or it is negative…” (1:27).
The misconception of Vietnam being a war-zone up to this day is not the only example of improper historical education in the United States. To this day, there are still many that believe that the United States had taken the lead on World War II against the Axis Powers. It was the Soviet Union, with the aid of its allies, including the United States, that led the final push against Germany, thus ending the conflict.
As someone who is also from a different country, I can relate to Khanh’s frustration due to the stereotypes labeled on him based on his race and ethnicity. But just like him, I have been able to develop a thick skin against such labels.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 06: U.S. President Donald Trump waves after speaking during the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting at The Venetian Las Vegas on April 6, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images). Copyright Free.
“You’re American! Donald Trump is your president! Fuck you!” Madison Barrows, an American, Catholic college student hanging out at a bar in Portugal, looked in bewilderment as a Portuguese man who noticed she was American proceeded to scream at her. The man didn’t even take into account whether Madison supported the president or not, he simply thought that all Americans were the same and thus they all supported the president. I asked Madison why she thinks the man acted this way towards her, and her reply was, “’Cause our president is pretty ignorant and puts a really bad look on our country for a lot of people. There’s like Americans that like him, but the rest of the world doesn’t. So, it’s pretty embarrassing when Americans wanna travel the world because it makes us look bad,” (6:16) After a quick Google search of “Trump Portugal”, I found that other than violent handshakes and Madonna seemingly wanting to escape America and go to Portugal, there haven’t been many political connections between the two countries. This begs the question: Why would someone from Portugal care enough about American politics to go around screaming at random Americans? On the one hand, perhaps it was the drink that drove him to express his distaste to that degree. On the other hand, maybe he felt that it was justified. I tried putting myself in the shoes of a Portuguese man in today’s world.
Picture of Madison Barrows with sister, 2009. All rights reserved.
Madison was born and raised in the US. She doesn’t have any familial connections to Portugal, so I asked her how she ended up going to Portugal two years in a row. “I had a foreign exchange student live with me and we met junior year. She became my best friend and now I’ve visited twice for about a month each time,” (6:44) I don’t know too much about what life in Portugal is like, but considering this man, let’s call him Rick, was at a bar, I’d assume he was having a good time before the American came around. As I listened to Madison talk about her exchange with Rick and how it changed her outlook on the Portuguese people as a whole, it made me wonder just how bad things could get in countries where President Trump has a stronger influence (e.g South American countries). If Rick proceeded to scream at Madison because he heard her accent, what could possibly happen if someone were to wear a MAGA(Make America Great Again) hat around Mexico City? President Trump has been very vocal (through speeches and his more unconventional methods) about his distaste for illegal immigration and his desire to build a wall along the Southern border that will, in his view, curb drug trafficking and illegal immigration. His strong take on immigration has had a plethora of opposers, both domestically and internationally. During his campaign, Trump claimed that Mexico was going to be responsible for paying for the wall. That obviously didn’t go down well with Enrique Peña Nieto, the former president of Mexico, who said, “Mexico does not believe in walls. I have said it time and time again: Mexico will not pay for any wall.” It went down even worse with Vicente Fox, Mexico’s 55th president, who had a stronger reaction saying, “We are not paying for that fuckin’ wall.” At the surface, these political tensions seem to only have an effect in countries that are affected by the subjects of debate; however, even in other countries that have no connection to such subjects, everything that America does is being judged. The same can be said for other major powers in the world, such as China, France, Germany, UK, etc. This reminded me of how when Hitler first began to rise to power, he was looked at as illegitimate by other world leaders.
Most world leaders didn’t take Hitler seriously (which is justified considering the fact that conservatives in the German government also didn’t take him seriously). However, the things he did militarily were seen around the world. It just goes to show how important it is for major countries in the world to be wary of how their methods of governance appear to other countries. The implications could be anything from declarations of war to citizens getting yelled at in bars when they are touring. I once watched a Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in which she talked about the danger of a single story. Throughout her life, she experienced multiple instances where people judged her based off a single story that they thought generalized a whole group. Later on, she found out that even she, herself, had fallen victim to believing in the single story. When a group is selectively portrayed a certain way, it becomes problematic because those that buy into it never get to see things from a different perspective unless they consciously go out to seek those perspectives. Thus, they think every member of that group is the same. I think Madison fell victim to being judged by a single story when Rick proceeded to scream at her just because he assumed she supported the president based solely off the fact that Rick heard her American accent. If I lived in Portugal and regularly kept up with news of what’s going on in America, I definitely would get to know someone before I formed my opinions on them due to how the views of American citizens are very diverse. However, Rick didn’t think about this before he attacked Madison, and he probably didn’t know either, which leads me to believe that he judged Madison on the single story that the American people unanimously support the president, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Madison went on to tell me about some cultural differences between the US and Portugal, mainly the economic disparity between people of color in both countries. In Portugal, people of color tend to be either in the upper class or in the lower class, the “favelas” in Portuguese. I lived in Nigeria for a year, so I have experience with how such drastic cultural discrepancies affect not only immigrants but also citizens of that country. However, what does it take to drive someone to a point that they can openly, verbally attack someone? In my opinion, when stereotypes are made about a country or citizens of a country, for some people those stereotypes become ingrained in their minds to the point that whenever they meet someone from said country, the feelings they have towards those stereotypes are evoked without regard to the degree of which someone from said country actually embodies those stereotypes. When Rick saw Madison in the bar, those feelings of anger that he had felt about his current American stereotypes manifested and were dumped on Madison who had done nothing deserving of that kind of reaction. This reminded me of the scripts that citizens in Nazi Germany unconsciously acted out whenever they were presented with certain circumstances that matched those scripts. These scripts lead to the radicalization of societies, at the expense of the “antagonists” in them.
Picture of Madison Barrows, 2011. All rights reserved.
Madison’s experience is just an example of how important it is for representatives to actually represent their country in a good light because even though not everyone is affected by their government, it follows the citizens wherever they go due to the single-story phenomenon that affects everyone that isn’t completely exposed to multiple viewpoints. No one should ever be attacked because of where they come from and it’s important that we all avoid falling victim to the ideology of a single story, because single stories are never generally true.
Dealing, day by day we all deal with our own problems
Imagine what the world would be like if people remembered that and to
View and treat everyone how they would want to be treated themselves
Even if you don’t look like them or have the same beliefs?
Rhetorical, you would think that would be a Rhetorical question
Some might even think it is sarcasm so much that they know the right answer
In reality, people ignore what is clearly right
To taste the feeling of acceptance and fitting in
Youth and adults both guilty of this trend
Impacting generations then, and at this rate also the ones to come
Simply being yourself and things that you cannot change fuel this trend
Why does one feel the need to bring someone down?
How does one have so much hate in their heart?
At what point is enough finally enough?
Though it is not a big deal to me, does it mean it is not important at all?
Many logical questions later
And still
Knowledge, common sense grade school knowledge which must be rocket science
Evicts out of one’s mind and
Strategically and collectively out of others
Like a forest fire or tornado, hatred has the power to quickly spread and
It destroys everything in its path
Fearfully looking at the destruction it causes
Everyone or I should say most conforms to the majority instead of stopping it
So many people have to learn how to deal with the negativity and hate from
Others for just existing and it’s not okay
Unite!
Numbers, there is much strength and power in numbers
In the same way many people follow others to spread hate
Quantity can be used to spread love and fight against senseless demise
Underdog is love
Expecting it to lose but it always wins
Accountability is what change starts with you
Never know what someone else is going through
Don’t add on to one’s stress and problems
So, the next time you see arrogance against diversity
Please don’t allow it to continue, embrace diversity
Everyone is different which is great
Capture or better yet
Imagine
Aworld where
Love wins
Dawn Allen, Portrait of ChrisSean Evans, Kansas City, March 2019
“Diversity” is inspired by my friend ChrisSean Evans who I interviewed because we both have differences in the community being a minority and having health issues. Us both being black but him having dyspnea and myself having sickle cell disease, we could relate about the struggles of being made fun of racially, but not about our different health issues Therefore I thought it would be interesting to interview him and compare and contrast. During the interview, we discussed his dyspnea, difficult or labored breathing, and how people made fun of him. He explained when one started, more and more people would join in just for the fun of it. In my poem, I stated, “Fearfully looking at the destruction it causes everyone, or I should say most conforms.” Which reminded me of the play “Rhinoceros” and how people comply with the majority with no actual logic behind it. It’s just more comfortable and easier to be with the majority than fight and stand for what you believe in. He also told me how these events made him wish he can change himself, which really upset me. Thus I wrote the poem about diversity, and how it is a beautiful part of life that we should embrace. No one should be discriminated against because of their race, religion, disability, etc. My friend closed the interview by stressing that if someone were to learn one thing about his experiences, it’s to treat others with the same respect you would want for yourself. “Diversity” is inspired by and explains exactly his goal from the situations he has been through.
For my narrative, I decided to use a bull as a metaphor for my friend Khair, who is African American. In the poem, the bull faces trouble from a parasite, who tries to influence him and take over his mind. In this, its a parallel to how my friend experienced racism from the men at the basketball court. At the court, the men would make comments about how Khair has more “natural hops” and how he’s “naturally more athletic” because of his skin color. To me, it sounds like the men were older and maybe that was just how they were raised. That to them, it was okay to say those things. However, my friend told me that the events at the basketball court rattled and changed his opinion of how black men are viewed in modern America, and how surprising it was to see how the older generation of white men viewed younger African Americans, and in general, and how somewhat attacking it was. My friend was dazed, but ultimately had to come to the conclusion that fighting back, and arguing about the situation would only lessen the view of African Americans in white men’s mind. So he decided to stay silent, and allow the men to say what they had to, knowing that in the future, things will be different with movements such as Black Lives Matter, and a new wave of progressive leaders.
If you ever ask her to decide her differences, she would say
“I have big lips, thick hair, a gap in my teeth, and a lighter complexion. Those are characteristics that people notice right from the beginning” (00:24)
Though the beauty of her light complexion comes with strong
individual, motivation, and positive energy some may still judge her for their
reflection.
“I attended Confluence Academy-Old North which is a predominantly black school. A male classmate taps me, and he precedes to ask, “Are you white?” No, I’m black too. I was young but he then says, “Oh okay well never mind”. I was just kind of caught off-guard.” (16:49)
She may look different to you but, to her, she is the same
as the two of you.
“My friend was talking about how my phone is always going off with notifications and text messages. She claims that I have a boyfriend, which I don’t, but she says things like “Oh ya’ll light skins have more of an advantage in relationships” or “ya’ll get all the love.” (19:55)
Though she encounters those who judged her for their
reflection, she had anchors who taught her to embrace herself and love herself
for who she is.
“No, I would not change myself because of my parents. They would always give me motivation, positive energy, and loving support so I would never feel like I should change who Kennedi Noel Glass is.” (03:21)
“It’s not your job to be likable. It’s your job to be yourself.
Someone will like you anyway.” -Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In a world where
social media plays such a huge roll in young adults and kids lives you tend to
see stereotypes within a race.
“It’s worse in society now because we have social media and there are more ‘standards’ and opinions out here. You’ll hear that light skin girls are more attractive than dark skin girls so again.” (11:43)
While listening to Kenndi during the interview, I’ve noticed
that though we’re different by skin color we go through the same thing with
stereotypes.
The stereotype in the black community that the girls in the community has to deal with is being light or dark skin. With the color of their skin color, they’re either getting all the love or having a bigger advantage of being in a relationship.
I, a Vietnamese American deal with the stereotype of being too skinny or too big for my body type. Growing up I’ve always got comments by others who were older than me. Telling me that to have a thinner body figure, a boy would find me more attracted and like me more. Yet the older I got I noticed my body figure didn’t even matter to the boy I fell in love with. My body figure wasn’t accepted by others who kept on commenting because as a kid, for them they would always hear those things from their older relatives; they grew up with that type of mindset thinking that to be like and to get the attention your body figure had to be thin and pale.
For both Kenndi and I, we deal with the appearances that society either accepts or isn’t ideally. With the new generation
After the end of the interview, I’d asked Kennedi what she
wanted people to know…
“Everyone is beautiful, everybody is unique, we all goals and aspirations, so just let us live our best lives and be successful. We’re strong and determined.” (26:33)
Artist’s Statement
Salina Nguyen, Portrait of Kenndi Glass and Salina Nguyen, Kansas City, February, 2019. All rights reserved.
In my free verse poem, I focused on the main topic of Kennedi and I’s interview, the color of her skin. At the beginning of my poem I decided to not give away Kennedi’s name because I wanted the audience to relate to her by just knowing what she looked by the description that was given, and the struggles that she went through. Giving two examples that Kennedi encounter gives the audience an insight to what she went through, but if you pay close attention to the people that were asking Kennedi about her identity, you would notice that they are the same race as Kennedi. Even though there are some people outside of the race making a rude comment and judging people, it also happens inside that group of people as well. Stereotypes in the group itself often happen between the girls, because now-a-days, girls tends to judge each other, instead of empowering one another. The reason why I gave the audience Kennedi’s identity at the end was because of how she overcame the situation, which was because of her parents teaching her to love who she is and taking pride of Kennedi Noel Glass.
This is a story about the reality
of the world we live in today. It is a story about the power of a difference in
a person’s life. It is the story of a young woman’s racial
struggles from childhood; a young woman by the name Adanna Okorocha.
“Mum! I am going to be late for school!” the little Ada shouted. Ada – the name everyone called her – was a young girl of 11 years. She attended Maple Grove Middle School, which was one of the best private schools in Maple Grove, Alabama- the little town she lived in with her family. Born into a Nigerian family, in the United States, Ada had been different all her life. Not only is she a minority in the US, there has always been a disparity between her and other people of color, solely because of her ethnicity.
“Do you have your lunch money with you?”, asked her mother, frantically moving about, making sure her daughter was perfect for school. It was her second week of school, and she didn’t want her daughter looking like she wasn’t well taken care of. She had come to understand that being black in this country came with a lot of stereotypes, even if they did not necessarily apply to you. “Yes mum. And I have my right pair of socks and already combed my hair”. Ada answered knowing fully well what her mum was going to ask next. “Good. Be safe in school baby girl, and make sure you don’t let anyone pick on you for no reason whatsoever. You have your teachers in school to always turn to if you need any help. Ok?” she asked as she straightened out Ada’s collar. “Yes mummy! Love you! Bye!” Ada shouted as she ran towards the school bus waiting outside her house. The driver was cheerful today. He had just received his paycheck and his wife had made his favorite meal for breakfast. He didn’t mind waiting a little for this little black kid…he didn’t mind at all. There was something different about her. She wasn’t like the other African American kids he had come across in all his years of bus driving. “Good morning, Mr. Michaels!” They did not greet him the way she did. “Good morning! How are you?” he said giving her a warm smile. “I am good! How are you?” “I am good as well” he said smiling as she found her way to the back of the bus looking for a space to sit. She had to go through the usual routine of looking for space in the bus. She would find a seat, but no one wanted her to sit next to them, and that’s how her ride to school was, sitting at the back of the bus, alone every day.
Maple Grove Middle School was a predominantly white school. The top-level classes where normally filled with only Caucasians. This was a normal trend in Maple Grove. The few African Americans at this school were stuck together, not interacting with the rest of the school. At least that’s how it was supposed to be. Ada was an exception in this school. She had just come into the school and, in less than two weeks, was already in the advanced classes. The teachers were amazed at how a black girl could keep up in a class like that. “Good morning, Ada, how are you doing today?” said Ada’s English teacher. “I am doing good, Miss Ann” said Ada as she continued to her class. “How are your parents?” asked Miss Ann. Ada had gotten used to this routine of greeting. She had always sensed that her teachers thought that, because she was black, she would have issues in her family. This was a stereotype to the black people. Her family was doing fine. Her parents had been married for ten years now and had never had a significant fight. “They are doing well, Miss Ann” Ada responded as she always did. She finally got to her class and as usual moved to her seat on the right side of the class, alone, and isolated from the rest of the class. It wasn’t a new thing to her. In fact, she has been used to this treatment right from elementary school. It wasn’t the same in her other classes. The other classes she took – which had more black people in them – treated her like any other student. Why was this an exception? She had taken some math placement tests and was placed in eight grade math class while she was in the sixth grade.
“Did you understand that Ada?” asked her math teacher. “Yes, Miss Jane” Ada couldn’t understand why the teachers acted this way to her. On one hand, it was like they cared; on the other, they were just waiting for her downfall. She couldn’t tell which was happening at any moment in time. There were times when she would walk down the hallway, on her way to the cafeteria, and just as she would pass by her teachers, she would overhear them say things like “I can’t believe she is keeping up in this class” or “She is actually quite smart for a black girl”. What they did not understand was that, being smart is not a function of your skin color. Yes, she was smart, there was no doubting that. However, so were the other kids in her class, but no one made a big deal about it. Why did they think she was different? That was when it struck her. She had been in a similar situation before. She had not given it much thought until now. Her first encounter with racism happened when she was much younger.
Ada had just returned from school and as it was her routine, she dropped her bag, finished her homework and got ready to go to the playground in front of her apartment complex. Her mum, who already knew this routine, came out from her room and walked behind her little girl. The playground was not far at all. In fact, it was in their compound. But still, she was not going to take her chances with this neighborhood. No, not where black people are discriminated against. Her husband was a doctor and she had her degree in Computer science. They had just started this family and had managed to provide for their two children on a daily basis. Their first born, Ada, was a smart child and could take care of herself. But with their new born , Nonso, they had to work extra hard. Ada’s father was the only good physicians in this little town they lived in, but because he was black, everyone would rather drive for miles to the nearest health center. There had been instances when their family would go shopping at their neighborhood store and end up buying nothing because of irrational racist actions from the employees and other customers. No, there was no way she was letting her baby girl go out on her own. They had just reached the playground when they saw this little girl sitting by herself on the swing. She was white. She looked sad and six-year old Ada asked her mum if she could go play with her. “Sure, you can. Just don’t hurt yourself”. Ada joyfully ran up to the girl and asked her name. Cindy and Ada played and played until the sun went down. Her mum was so proud. She had raised a good child. They played that way every day after school, on the weekends, in the evenings just when the sun was about leaving the sky. Every time Ada crossed the gate to the playground, her friend would come right behind her. They lived in the same apartment complex but why had she never seen her friends’ parents come with her to the playground? Not even her mother. At least her own mother came and watched over the two children. She believed that was ok. This daily affair went on between these two friends until one day that Ada’s friend came down to the playground with her mother. Ada was excited because she loved meeting people, but her mum was uneasy even though she had been taking care of this person’s daughter for some time now. Cindy’s mother looked into the playground and asked her daughter who these people were. “Oh, that is my friend Ada and her mum. We play here everyday” said the innocent girl. Cindy’s mother let go of her child’s hand, walked up to Ada’s mother and asked, “So you think it is ok for your daughter to play with my daughter?” Ada’s mother responded “yes, why not?”, “Well I just thought maybe you would want to meet her parents first, you know? We are trying to raise her well and we don’t want anything to, you know, influence that in a negative way”, “What do you mean?!” Ada’s mother would not have it. This white lady had just called her daughter a bad influence. All Ada could hear from the other end of the playground was shouting and disagreement. She did not understand what was going on. She just wanted to play with her friend. The argument went on until Cindy’s mum grabbed her daughter by the hand and stormed off the playground. And so, the two little friends did not play that day.
The next day, Ada went to the playground in the evening as usual but as she neared the gate, her friend, Cindy, was stepping out of the playground. “Hey! Are you leaving?” Ada asked innocently. “Yeah. My mum said I shouldn’t play with you anymore. She said you people had no respect,”. What Cindy had just said would infuriate someone else in a similar situation, but not Ada. She did not feel bad at all. In fact, she thought it was a normal thing. “Oh ok, makes sense. Bye Cindy!” she said as she waved cheerfully to Cindy heading back to her apartment. They were not meant to be friends anyway. She was black and her friend was white. Her parents had already told her all these stereotypes about how white people treated black people. This was the same situation with Cindy and her mother. Both sides had told bad things to their children about the other. Little did they know that they were sowing disparity into the lives of these young ones. Now they would grow and pass this same seed to their children, and on and on till we finally break this chain.
This was many years ago. It all made sense to her now. What had been done to her back when she was little was still going on in her middle school. She started thinking of ways to reduce this racial treatment. She noticed that the white kids dressed in a certain way. They wore the latest shoes, clothes which she thought were “white brands,”(26:57). Whatever it took she had to change herself to fit in. She bugged her parents, saying she needed new clothes and shoes. Her request was met, but what she got were off brands. Nonetheless, she would finally fit in. But to her dismay, the very same people she tried so hard to become, laughed at her. This had happened before in history when the Nazi’s occupied Europe. The Nazis murdered the Jews simply because they hated them for their difference. Even when they seemed to give the Jews options they went back on their word and killed them anyway. Although this scenario is not as extreme, Ada never again was going to try and fit in.
Ollyy, African young woman taking off a mask of a caucasian woman- Image, Royalty-free stock photo ID: 102504455 , https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/african-young-woman-taking-off-mask-102504455?src=w-bhd7g14pFly3J0o0DJ5A-1-0, March 3, 2019. All rights reserved.
This one experience of her being ridiculed for trying to change, changed her mind set, and how she lives her life today. Yes, she had a lot to prove to others to break the stereotype used against her, she wasn’t going to let anyone bring her so low as to change who she was. . Although, Ada and I share the same ethnicity, we differ in terms of citizenship status, and hence our experiences with racism are completely different. Nonetheless, just as Ada had found this new hope in herself, so must we all in our struggle for acceptance. For we are who we are for us, not for “them”.
All my life I spent most of my time playing video games, so when I met Brandon in middle school and figured out that he played the same types of video games on the same platform, we instantly clicked with each other. And for the next six years, we spent most of our time out of school playing various types of video games with each other. But one thing that we never really spoke to each other about was our backgrounds. So that’s why I chose to do this interview with him: so I can learn more about his past, at other schools in the rough parts of the neighborhood, and how being of Asian descent has affected him growing up.
After my second question, I was already surprised by one his answer. He told me that “When I was little I always thought I was a normal American and that I wasn’t Asian because at home my mom really only spoke English and I barely knew how to speak Vietnamese.” (00:30) I could see where the thought process comes from. When I was young and just playing around with all the other kids at school, looking hard at one another and trying to figure out everyone’s differences wasn’t the main priority. The main goal was to just play and have fun. With everybody learning English and being too young to understand that people could be different, kids could easily come to the conclusion that everybody is the same.
Continuing on with the interview, I found out that his parents fit the Asian stereotypes. He told me that when he was going through school, his parents pressured him to succeed, and if his grades started to fall behind then his dad would make him pick up a book or start studying so he can raise his grades back up. His dad would also forbid him to play video games so he could solely focus on studying and improving grades. This wasn’t too surprising to hear; this is one of the most common Asian stereotypes that people hear. Following with the next question, I was told that kids at his school would only reinforce the stereotypes because they would talk about Asians being smart, which was another part of society pressuring him to succeed and to continuously adhere to the stereotype. But this was just one “positive” stereotype, the kids at school would also make fun of him with the negative stereotypes, such as the one about Asians eating dogs. They would just poke fun at him saying immature things such as, “Do you eat dogs?” And the best way Brandon could face the problem was to just go along with jokes, so then everybody could move on and there would be less conflict. However, that just continued to reinforce the stereotypes. It didn’t solve the problems in society.
This leads to why Brandon spent most of his time playing video games. “I felt truly accepted when I was at home playing video games with my friends online because I could relate to them and had fun playing and sort of forgot my pressures and could enjoy life.” (02:21). He used them as an escape mechanism. Instead of having to deal with the trouble makers at school while also dealing with the pressure to succeed from his parents he could just have fun playing games by himself at home or a few people who he met online. This isn’t too surprising to hear as games being used as an escape mechanism isn’t anything new. Lots of people have done it, whether it’s to escape bullying, relieve stress, or ignore family problems.
Moving on to how Brandon feels today, he tells me that it’s a lot better in college. People don’t really say anything mean at all but he still has the pressure from his parents to succeed. This could easily relate to age and maturity. In middle school, kids don’t fully understand the impacts of their actions, and even in high school, most 16-year-old students can still act immature and constantly reinforce stereotypes with the types of “jokes” they tell.
When I asked Brandon how others in his situation could deal with it, he told me that they should talk to a teacher or counselor. But when I asked him if he himself told anyone about what was going on, he told me no. He said, “I felt too scared to talk to them because the situation could have gotten worse because if you told a teacher something, you could be labeled as a snitch and the bullies would target you more.” (04:10). So when I asked him later “If you could change any one thing about society, what would it be?”, he said “…to improve the help people should be receiving when they do talk to a teacher or counselor because today there really isn’t much help, they listen a bit to your story and there is almost no punishment or any change, so the people continue being bullies…” (04:27).
And I completely agree with his stance. During our times in middle school and high school, the principals constantly told students that they shouldn’t be afraid to speak up if they are getting harassed. But there was always that fear of being labeled a snitch and getting targeted more. And the main reason for that was because nothing was ever done about the situation. Today we constantly hear on the news about how someone at school was either beaten up or constantly harassed to point where the student didn’t even want to show up at school anymore. While reading into the story, we can see that most of the time the student or parent actually did notify a teacher or principal, but nothing was ever done until it was too late and the situation escalated to the point where actual authorities had to be called. Teachers rely more on anti-bullying policies than actually helping the student themselves. This goes back to why students are too afraid to ask for help: the teacher will most likely not take the bullying seriously or lack the skills to emotionally help the student, which causes students to be embarrassed, or afraid of getting teased even more after asking for help.
If left untreated, bullying and racism can slowly build into something dangerous. Recently there was a story published on CNN by Eliott C. McLaughlin talking about how one fifth grade girl attacked Raniya, another fifth-grade student, who later died from her injuries. One of the most relevant points in the story is how the victim’s mother told school administrators that there was a student harassing her daughter even going back to the previous school year. A few weeks before the fight, Raniya was asking her mom if she could stay at home to avoid coming to school completely. And yet even with the parents’ concern, nothing had been done to perpetrator. No talking to, no punishments, no separation from the victim. The victim’s mother told the teacher that she was “leaving it in her hands to do something about it,” but when Raniya came back home, she told her mother that the teacher hadn’t raised the issue. School administrators need to take more actions against bullying instead of just saying “We’ll look into it”.
Another thing we can take away from this story is how no one else stepped in to help the victim. The victim’s classmates did acknowledge that they saw the bully harass the victim into the fight throughout the day, but they didn’t step in to help, not even once considering how the bullying has been going on for the past year. But that can be blamed on the weak administration when Brandon mentioned earlier that he was too afraid to speak up because he could be targeted more, the same could be said for all of the witnesses in almost all bullying scenarios. If only one person steps in to help, that person would most likely be afraid of also becoming a target.
In the book “The Drowned and the Saved” by Primo Levi, a Holocaust survivor, he mentions the term “Useless Violence”. The term can be simply defined as the desire to inflict pain and suffering without any reasoning. He used it to describe how concentration camps were designed to provoke terror, suffering, and pain instead of killing the prisoners fast and efficiently. We can describe Brandon’s case, Raniya’s case, or any case of bullying as “Useless Violence”. The bullies have no reason to act the way they do, they are only causing the victims to suffer for no good reason.
As a society, we all need to do our part in creating a more open, friendly, and trustworthy community. People need to understand how their actions affect others. Bullies especially need to understand the dangers of reinforcing extremely negative stereotypes or causing harm towards people who are different from them for no reason. We all have the ability to treat others the way we want to be treated.
Joseph Choi was young when he realized people would start treating him differently because of his race. I interviewed Joseph, my roommate, to listen to his experiences while growing up. Joseph was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at the turn of the century. His parents are from South Korea, and as a Korean-American, Joseph faced racism at a young age. Before Joseph went to school, he did not know how society treated someone who was different. He would eventually learn what racism is. When Joseph was old enough for school, he faced racism in every grade level.
Mercer Deatz, Joseph when he was younger, South Korea, 2014, All rights reserved.
In early elementary school, Joseph experienced small acts of racism, such as name-calling. Towards his later elementary career, he encountered stronger acts of racism. He never experienced a situation that was violent but I learned that he did experience racism first hand. When I asked him about any specific acts of violence or racism in elementary school, he told me about one particular story that stuck in his head. He responded, “Well, I’ve never had, in a sense, a violent case. More like little ruffles here and there. I’ve always surrounded myself with a good group of people. Um, making sure I have a good group of friends who support me not because of how I look or how I act, just depending on how good of character that I have.” This showed me that Joseph’s experiences with small acts of racism shaped the group of people he could call friends. He continued, “but I think back in elementary, probably fourth or fifth grade. I was standing in line to use the restroom because we had the restroom schedule where everyone goes at the same time before recess or something. And I was standing in line to use the urinal and this one kid cuts in front of me and I was like, hey that’s not cool, and then he turns around and slaps me” (6:48). While listening to this, I realized how I never had to deal with this in the fourth or fifth grade. Even though it wasn’t violent, this experience stuck in Joseph’s head because of how young he was. Joseph continued by saying how the boy “slaps me and calls me a racial slur. Uh, that slur being c***k. However, as you know, I am not Chinese” (6:48). This was interesting because as a kid, Joseph was already being called names. Joseph thought it was a little amusing because the kid did not even use the right racial slur. In reference to this situation, I asked him, “why do you think people act this way towards you?” (7:38). He replied, “It goes back to the thing of just how I look different, people feel like because they’re the majority they can treat me differently, whether it’s worse or in the rare case, better. They feel like they have because they’re the majority they have the ability to get everyone on their side, rather than on my side” (7:53). By the tone at which Joseph told me this, I believe Joseph understood that at a young age. He realized that some people would treat him differently just because he looks different on the outside.
Mercer Deatz, Joseph visitng with a relative, South Korea, 2014, All rights reserved.
As Joseph grew up, he experienced fewer acts of racism, but he still had to deal with other people stereotyping him. He mentioned that he still faces that problem today. When I asked him what his biggest challenge is, he told me, “Uh, the biggest challenge I still face today. Um, living up to expectation. Uh, everyone knows the Asians are supposed to become or be the smart ones” (15:12). I wondered if he has close friends that stereotype him, so I asked, “Do you still have close friends that like, maybe stereotype you in school?” (16:02). And he responded, “Oh yeah. I have a lot of friends like that, it’s mostly joking. I just brush it off because I don’t really care. But it’s kind of funny because they’re always like, Joseph, where’s your 4.0, and I’m like, well I don’t know man. I think a 3.8 is good” (16:10). I think it is safe to say that Joseph is affected by people who stereotype him. But he does not let it bring him down. Joseph was a swimmer in high school, and he mentioned how he did not have the stereotypical genes of a swimmer. He was not gifted with the long limbs of a swimmer, and he believed this left him at a disadvantage (5:34). But he put in more hard work to prove that he could not be stereotyped (6:20).
Mercer Deatz, Joseph eating a meal with his relatives in South Korea, South Korea, 2014, All rights reserved.
We have had stereotyping discussions in my class before. Jud Süss is a film we watched that was made in Nazi Germany. There are multiple examples of stereotyping in the film. Specifically, the stereotyping of the Jewish main character. The character is shown to have all the stereotypical Nazi character traits of a Jewish person at the time. Obviously, racism and stereotyping were involved with the Holocaust, but this film has good examples of stereotyping that relate to the modern day stereotyping that Joseph faces. In modern times, people still characterize another group of people based off a few stereotypes. That is what Joseph has had to live with.
Mercer Deatz, Joseph having fun with Samurai in Japan, Japan, 2017, All rights reserved.
Because Joseph seemed to worry about stereotyping throughout his life, I asked him, “what advice would you give to people in a similar situation as yourself?” (16:30). I asked that to see if he could provide help to someone just like him. Someone that gets treated differently because of their appearance. He responded, “The advice I’d give to people is no matter how hard people put you down, always stand up with your chin up. Um, because if you let them get you down, that only makes them feel higher up above you. You don’t have to be the best, you don’t have to try to be the best. What you can be is that you can be yourself. And that’s hard because like I said, I created a fake persona about me to help me become more popular, more friendly, and I can honestly say, uh, that has led to many fake friendships, and in general, just making sure that no one can bring you down no matter how hard they try” (16:38). I believe Joseph’s message to other people growing up in a similar situation is to be yourself and not let other people stereotype you. Since he mentioned that he created a fake persona, I wondered if that meant he wish he would not have done that. It sounded like he hid his true personality to blend in more and make friends. I wondered if he wished he would have been himself more, so I asked, “So would you suggest to, like, another version of yourself to be yourself more?” (17:19). He replied, “Yes and no. Because I feel like I wouldn’t have become as popular when I was younger, but at the same time I feel like I could’ve made more stronger relationships back then” (17:26). I believe Joseph is happy with his life and that is why he could not give a decisive answer to that question. I know Joseph is living just fine, but he certainly did not grow up in a perfect society for someone with a difference.
Mercer Deatz, Joseph during his visit to Japan, Japan, 2017, All rights reserved.
The fact that Joseph did not grow up in that good of a society, for someone in the minority, was on my mind. Joseph certainly did grow up differently than me because of his race. I wanted to know what he would change about society if he could. I asked, “How would you like people to respond to your different race, like, in a perfect world maybe?” (18:07). He thought for a second and responded, “I’d want people to treat me like they treat everyone else. Don’t think of me as different, think of me as the same level as you, the same capabilities, and the same acceptance” (18:15). I wanted to know if Joseph ever thought about how to get to this perfect world. So I followed up the question and asked, “If you could change any one thing about society, would it be like, you know, equality like that?” (18:27). He replied, “Yes, but in the society that we have currently, that is impossible. Of course, uh, I’d almost say awareness, for something actually tangible. People who actually know the hardships we’ve felt, maybe not even me, but people who go through these hardships, who go through the violence of racism. Um, I feel like if more awareness was spread, people wouldn’t act the way they act” (18:39). Joseph wants people to understand that race makes no difference to a person. Better awareness within the society is a start to end the stereotyping that Joseph grew up with.
Sam Hart, showing ant-Semitic graffiti in a well-known cemetery in France. Champagne-au-Mont-d’Or cemetery, The New York Times, April 6th, 2019
National
Emergency V.S. Congress
Anti-Semitism is an issue as a result of rising nationalism in the west. In Europe, where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict spills over, the anti-Semitic surge has been particularly marked. France, home to the continent’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities, it has not become the epicenter of it all. The slaughter of Jewish children at an Orthodox school in Toulouse in 2012, the terrorist attack on a kosher supermarket in a Paris suburb in 2015 and the brutal murder in 2018 of Mireille Knoll, a Holocaust survivor, form a trail of horror. This is partly to blame due to some younger individuals have anti-Semitism embedded in their roots. European countries claim to address the issue and defuse the situation, it doesn’t appear so.
Learning about Others
Geology.com, Map of Mexico, Kimberly is from Camargo, Chihuahua, March 15th, 2019.
An issue in across the world we have been facing is discrimination. Since the beginning of time, it has been relevant, but we are beginning to see it normalized through media. According to the Cambridge dictionary, Discrimination is described as “the treatment of a person or a particular group of people differently, in a way that is worse than the way people are usually treated.” Discrimination can take many forms. But how can we place ourselves in the shoes of someone else who has been discriminated? We can learn through the experiences of Kimberly Rodriguez, a young Latina adult. I conducted an interview with Kimberly a few days ago with Kimberly and learned stunning information. Kimberly was a classmate of mine and I would call her one of my best friends. Kimberly introduced me into the Mexican culture by inviting me to Quinceañeras, having me over for special celebrations, and overall surrounding me with her culture. I have been friends with Kimberly for several years but I have never learned her story. Who is Kimberly Rodriguez? Kimberly Rodriguez was born July 16th, 2001 in Camargo, Chihuahua, Mexico. Kimberly attended Preschool in Mexico and eventually migrated to Kansas City, Kansas in 2005. Being from Mexico, her first language was Spanish so moving to Kansas was a challenge for her. As she began elementary school at Whittier Elementary in Kansas City, she struggled with English. In her first year in school, she was bullied for her accent and lacking in her English-speaking skills.
Sam Hart, MexConnect, Camargo is where Kimberly was born. March 15th, 2019.
Kimberly would face discrimination from her classmates, and
this would affect her self-esteem. She would have to take speech classes to
improve her English. But eventually, Kimberly improved her English greatly.
Until this interview, I was unaware that English wasn’t Kimberly’s first
language based on how well she is able to speak it. Regardless of her journey,
it affected her self-esteem growing up. She was constantly self-conscious of
her speaking ability and continued to work on it as she got older.
Even though Kimberly resides in the United States and Americanized
her ways, she still faces discrimination. She has been battling this her entire
life. Kimberly currently lives in Kansas City, Kansas. In Kansas City, a there
is a large Latino population. Remaining in this neighborhood, you do not
experience discrimination. But once you leave the city, it becomes more rural.
For example, Kim works at Great Wolf Lodge which is located at the Legends.
Even straying from the city slightly, Kim says there is a different atmosphere.
With both the customers and even her employees. In some cases, discrimination
occurs indirectly. It ranges from body language to passive interactions.
Regardless of Kim’s long journey, she is thriving. Kim
is a senior at Sumner Academy of Arts and has her goals set high. She is
planning on attending the University of Missouri Kansas City entering the
medical field. Kim uses her doubters to motivate her to prove others wrong.
Statistics of Detention Centers
Sam Hart, The image is taken by Kimberly’s mother outside of their home in Kansas City. Kimberly is excited to hold her first puppy of the family, 2006. All rights reserved
Immigration detention is at the center of numerous heated public debates in the United States, including about the treatment of undocumented children and families, the growth of the private prison industry, the use of jails for immigration purposes, and the increasing convergence between immigration law and the criminal justice system. The size and cost of U.S. immigration detention and removal operations have spiraled since the 1990s. According to the Global Detention Project, the number of people placed in detention annually increased from some 85,000 people in 1995 to a record 477,523 during 2012. According to a 2014 study on the history of immigration control policies in the United States, between 1986 and 2012, the United States spent some $187 billion on immigration enforcement. By 2014, the annual cost of the detention portion of the immigration enforcement budget had grown to roughly $2 billion, or approximately $5 million a day. We know very little of what actually takes place in these centers and what the fate is of thousands of families.
Taken by Kimberly’s mother at their home in Camargo, Chihuahua, 2003, All rights reserved.
When interviewing Kim, I asked, “what do you think causes individuals to act like this?” (10:37). Kim came to the conclusion that discrimination is a result of ignorance. This is caused by two major factors, being expressed through mass media, and being isolated from other cultures. Kim has very strong feelings about discrimination being normalized by our President. She states that “But since Trump has been in office, I have personally seen more open racism and discrimination. Having someone to in such high -power display racism makes it seem normalized. His presidency has been a form of regression on the civil rights of minorities. The president is supposed to be a role model and he is doing the exact opposite.” The President is expressing closed-minded beliefs and his supporters believe it instead of testing them. The only knowledge his supporters have is what is expressed through the President. Both the President and his supporters have very little experience with other cultures and which it is unfair to make claims of something they don’t know.
A State of Hate
Taken by Kimberly’s father, portrait of Kimberly ready to participate in the traditional Folk Dance tied to her heritage, 2006. All rights reserved.
On Election Night in 2008, Americans gathered in Grant Park, Chicago. They cried tears of joy knowing Barack Obama would become the first black president. For millions of Americans, Obama lifted the nation. For white supremacists, he lit a powder keg. His election supercharged the divisions that have existed since the country’s birth. The hate created two Americas. Two realities. Split-screen reactions to the same events, that continued and were exacerbated with President Trump’s victory and time in office. The era that started with hope and change had now become one of unapologetic hate. Most African-Americans polled immediately after the 2008 election called Obama’s victory “a dream come true,” one they never expected to see in their lifetime. Not all Americans saw it that way. Racists viewed a black man in power as a signal of the browning of America. It was the sight they feared the most. They were terrified and infuriated. White supremacists, Klansmen, and others began to vent, plot and act. As Obama called for people to come together, they used his existence to drive the nation apart. Donald Trump, then a private citizen, questioned if the first black President was born in America. Some repeated the lie that Obama was Muslim as if to exaggerate his “otherness.” This undercurrent of racism came as the country struggled with a divided Washington and the economic crisis following the Great Recession. Donald Trump’s rhetoric on the campaign trail in 2016 seemed to bring those divisions out into the open. Trump received great support in the perceived and outwardly racist language. From his call for a so-called Muslim ban to denigrating Mexicans at his campaign announcement, Trump stirred America’s melting pot of diversity and haters emerged. This damage caused by Donald Trump will leave a stain on America. This will take decades of work to fix.
Eliminating Discrimination
Taken by Kimberly’s sister. Portrait of Kimberly winning a local scholarship. Kansas City, Kansas, 2019. All rights reserved.
The play Rhinoceros was written by Eugène Ionesco. In this play, we can see several parallels to the play and the movement President Trump has brought on our country. In Rhinoceros, there is a spread of disease in their town. People are suddenly turning green and eventually becoming Rhinoceros. In the beginning, the people feared the Rhinoceros without much interaction of them. They portray the Rhinos as monsters. But eventually when they become the majority, the uninfected wish to become the Rhinos. Ionesco’s intention of the play was to show the sweeping fascist movement. We can tie parallels to President Trump. Trump has fascist characteristics by wanting to isolate the only nationality through nationalism. Also getting the population to believe in whatever he says with very little evidence
Bettering Ourselves
Stage Agent, A poster for the play Rhinoceros, 2017.
The world is filled with hate, especially in America. It spread because of different religions, ethnicity, and even political beliefs. This is due to discrimination against these different groups. We have learned earlier that discrimination is caused by ignorance. As our interviewee, Kimberly has mentioned before, that people discriminate against others for a few reasons. Since they don’t know these groups, they are afraid of them. When afraid, they try to push these other groups down. We have seen this throughout history. Discrimination leads to violence as we seen in history and in particular, in the United States. Most recently, we have seen mass massacres on hated groups. To create peace, we must eliminate discriminating others. Most of the global issues come from the root of discrimination. I hope for us to develop and learn from our prior mistakes. In this better world, we must learn and accept others instead of rejecting them and putting them down. Hopefully, we will live in peaceful world, eventually.
Faithfully Magazine,poster placed in several cities across the nation, inspiring citizens, March 15th, 2019.
I decided to do a Newspaper article on this project. I feel like the best way to communicate my message is through mass media, such as a Newspaper. Since individuals surround themselves with mass media every day to get their news. My goal is to info everyone about the struggles of others. If I get their message out, then hopefully others will be understanding. Then eventually this can lead to the improvement of discrimination against others.
