Microaggressions

While attending High School (junior year), I was sitting in class socializing with other students.  We were allowed to socialize for the first ten minutes of class.  I was engaged in a conversation with a couple of my classmates, when another student (white male) addressed me inappropriately.  I immediately made some statements back to the student.  We went back in forward for a minute and he called me a B!#ch.  When he made that statement, I became very upset.  The teacher, who was white, finally asked what was going on.  I tried to explain to her what happened.  She didn’t want to hear my story.  She asked me to have a sit and began to ask the white male student what happened. Based on his statements, she wrote me up for disrupting the class and using profanity.  I was sent me to the principal’s office. My feelings was hurt because I felt like because I was black and the teacher and student that I was arguing with was white, I was not treated fairly.   Her recommendation was for me to be suspended from school for 3 days.

I was very upset and I felt as if I was not treated fairly because of the color of my skins.  I was not given a chance to prove myself. In my opinion, the white male student did not learn anything from the solution.  My parents ended up having a conference with the school principal and teacher about the incident.  The principal decided to interview students from the class and out of 20 students, 15 made a statement that they heard the two of us arguing and the only profanity word used was by the white male.  I know I was wrong for arguing in class and I would have accepted the punishment of “disrupting the class”, but I also felt as if the white student should have been punished also for using profanity and disrupting the class. Fair is Fair!!

Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

The United States of America thrives on diversity. A synthesis of the world’s plentiful and varied races, religions, and cultures, America is a home to all, such that no one group can call itself more “American” than another. And the fusion of cultures here is so unique and so exceptional that citizens can be just as proud of their original cultural heritage as they are to be an American.

Our Diversity in America collection takes a good look at what it means to be “American” and examines the rich heritages that make up our country. Each culture provides its own special and irreplaceable contribution to our understanding of America today, and The World & I Online showcases this here. From Asia to Europe to Africa to Latin America, some 128 articles trace each nationality’s broad history and important contributions to the American way of life. Diversity in America not only presents a host of intimate snapshots of culture and heritage, but documents the struggles of nationalities to integrate into the “melting pot” society of America, and highlights the strength and integrity of various cultural leaders and thinkers.

My Family Culture

If there was a major catastrophe of my country and I was only allowed to take 3 small items, I would take the following items to represent my family culture:

·         My family photo album:  the photo albums will have memories of my culture and traditions.

·         The Bible:  For me to read and keep my faith

·         My Laptop:  just in case there will be internet connection, I will be able to connect with family member and friends thought social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

Once I arrived to the host country and I was told that I could only keep one of the three items I brought.  I think I would keep my laptop, especially If I determine that I would have access to the internet.  On my laptop, I have pictures of my family downloaded and I could always download a copy of The Bible (King James Version). 

My family is so dear to me and I couldn’t imagine something like this happening.  If it did, I would continue my culture by cooking foods that are a tradition to my family and sing songs of my culture to remind me of where I came from.