Background
I was born in Brentwood, New York but grew up in a small town in North Carolina called Harrisburg. Harrisburg was a majority-white American community. African Americans made up 20-25% of the community, for the 15 years I lived there. Harrisburg is a nice middle-class town with some areas rougher than others.
I went to a majority-white high school with little amount of diversity, here and there. As I grew up the town became more modernized, with more shops, grocery stores, and places to go.
My Social Justice Journey in high school started when a member of my graduating class held a confederate flag in front of our school. There was a statue of the bull in front of the school where she sat with the Confederate flag in her hand. She also wore her cap and gown. After that moment, I knew what type of town I had really grown up in.
Major Turning Points in my Social Justice Journey
- Covid/Schools closing down
- Coming to an HBCU from and majority white town
- Black Lives Matter Movement/ George Floyd
- My parents separation
- Presidental election of 2016, 2020
The list represents different things throughout my life that have not only impacted me as a person but in some cases how I look at school justice issues.
The culture shift from a predominantly white schooling system to a historically black college. Being around people that understand you, and everything you go through in life is undefeated. Black Lives Matter was painted on the campus grounds without hesitation. Social Justice issues are seen the same way as the person next to you, rather than having to argue with someone who will never understand.
Schools closing down allowed me to graduate high school without doing homework for 4 months. I never walked across the stage. I never go through those final goodbyes or season-ending championship wins. I wasn't allowed a normal college freshman year. I was forced to remain in my house for months on end till it was "safe" to go back outside again. I struggled mentally, physically and emotionally. I gained an understanding of unity and social justice throughout the time though. The vaccine came out during this time which created a shift. You saw the black people staying away from it but white people all for it. Just another divide in a country already divided.
Social justice is defined- as a goal embraced by people who desire a society in which diversity and difference are celebrated and not ignored or belittled
social justice orientation- a theory that explains why people feel a certain way towards, other people, places, or things in general.
social justice consciousness- the awareness of problems or issues in a community
In Conclusion
This world has always been unequal. The community is always supposed to treat others how they want to be treated. No matter the color of your skin, the background you come from, or the clothes you wear, everyone is one and the same. An equal world is something people should strive for every day but will we ever get it, who knows?