by Irene Davault

Created on: November 11, 2010   Last Updated: November 17, 2010

The dictionary describes racism as animosity toward other races, belief in racial superiority.  My first remembrance of racism was during my high school year.  All white schools were required by law to allow black American students to attend.  I watched first hand how white students would   taunt, speak down to these students, and bully them.  Those scenes are forever in my memory.  I was not from the south and had just moved there to live with relatives.  This was my first experience with racism between cultural. I am sure this probably occurred in other areas I had lived in but I did not recognize it as racism.

I am glad to have seen over the years less tolerance for this type of behavior.  We have improved and still have room for improvement.  I have also noted that racism is not always connected with the color of one’s skin, but it can be against gender, profession, or education and country.

Racism is sometimes disguised in the form of poverty or wealth, education, or cultural differences.  The ugly side of racism is seen when pride is in the negative, when people esteem themselves above others.
Will racism ever go away, probably not, but more and more attitudes are changing about how treat others.  Until compassion and love rule the life of individuals, there will always be a tendency to be prejudice toward others.

You must view racism as a disease of the mind that can be eradicated from society.   It must start in the home by teaching our children tolerance toward all people no matter what ethnic background they represent, if they are rich or poor, educated or uneducated.  The goal of every individual should be to improve themselves and to help their neighbor, no matter what the ethnic background.

As you trace American history, you will find those who oppress others and those who feel the need to help improve living conditions of those who are oppressed.  America is a land of caring and compassionate people as a majority.  America is a stew pot of ethnic backgrounds with helping hands that cross cultural boundaries to help make life better.

The best thing we can do to help end racism is to not be apart of it or to not tolerate it. I could have expressed my dislike for the way those students were treated, but I opted not to say anything in their defense.  Throughout my life, I have had experiences of racism at work, but not to the degree as I saw while growing up.  Because of this I can empathize with those students now.

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