Topic B: Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life, and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how?
Sometimes I wonder how different the history of the world would be if we were all the same skin color since the beginning of time. Its fascinating to me to think that a slightly different shade of color could have such a profound effect on humanity. How is it that a pair of genes can govern the way we automatically treat others? When I was four years old, my parents decided to raise their children in a smaller, rural environment. The move was to a small, predominantly white town in the heart of North Texas. Since then, living in the town of Argyle has been without a doubt one of the biggest blessings in my life. Not necessarily because it's such a terrific place to reside in, but because of what it has taught me about myself. Being that it is an affluent, largely white community in the south, naturally it is also a very biased town with only a very small population of other ethnicities. As a result, living in this town has come with many stereotypes and racist slurs over the years, and for a long time, I took these insults to heart. Only by being confident in who I am and where I come from have I been able to stand up for myself and my ethnicity and actively transform the social perception of the largest minority group in the United States in at least a few people.
The bigotry seemed to be everywhere, from students, my "friends", and sadly, even teachers. One of the most powerfully hurtful phrases that I’ve heard on several occasions is when people have told me or other Latinos and Hispanics to “go back to Mexico” followed by “dirty beaner”. It made me feel inferior, unworthy. It infuriated me, even more so when they were talking to others. I remember one occasion, when someone uttered this particular phrase to me clearly within the teacher’s range of hearing. Everyone in class looked over at the teacher as if someone was about to be sent to the principal’s office. Instead, the teacher acted as if they had heard nothing. My tolerance was tested to its limits. But I was raised on the principles of forgiveness, so I would not retaliate against anyone, physically at least.
I am Hispanic so I must be an illegal immigrant. I am Hispanic so I must mow lawns or deal drugs for a living. I am Hispanic so I shouldn’t really in all of the advanced classes. The list went on and on. Its tragic really. Its sad to see that people, more importantly students, are stuck with the bigoted views that have plagued our country for centuries. Though they might not necessarily mean it sometimes, the subtlety of even processing saying something racist is what keeps it prevalent. Yet, I have been much more fortunate than many other people in similar situations. What I have experienced is only a sliver of what has been happening to Hispanics and Latinos for years in the United States. Its not hard to find. We see it so often in the news, in casual conversation, and there are even people running for U.S. president with these biased ideals as the face of their campaign.
It took me a while to realize how we, as a society, should react to this type of blatant discrimination. I remember talking to my pastor for hours about my troubles, and with his insight and personal experience of growing up in the U.S. as an immigrant himself, I finally knew what to do. We must respond, but we mustn't reciprocate their antagonism. We must reshape the image of Hispanics permanently, and begin a new generation. A generation that will no longer be stereotyped as laborers and criminals, but characterized as always pursuing something far greater. A generation that seeks higher education and competes for the same jobs as those who have discriminated against them. Doctors, lawyers, businessmen and women, entrepreneurs, politicians, and other elite jobs of significant importance.
I’ve always seen myself as a representative of the Hispanic and Latino student body within my community, but only collectively can we defend our heritage from such outdated standards. Now, a couple of ill-advised words don’t have the same effect they used to. Instead, they serve as a catalyst to rewrite our history. Together we must repaint the image of Hispanics and Latinos once and for all. A skin tone cannot to stop us.