I'd like to begin this article by introducing myself.

My name is Aarti Patil and I am a 19-year-old Indian woman. I was born in Fort Worth and grew up in a small suburban town. I was raised right here in Texas, although I spent some time in boarding school overseas and in a few different states. All of my experiences and interactions with others at home, overseas, and across the country have shaped who I am today.

Now I'd like to introduce what I will be discussing over the course of the next few weeks.

From my experiences and travels, I've had the blessing and opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. If I were to pick one thing that has resonated the most with me from my past, it is the way people treat each other. This series is titled 'A Series Of Slurs,' to reflect the gravity of this article and the ones to follow.

In the course of the next few weeks, I will be discussing issues that began in previous generations and are now spilling over into our generation – The Millennials. We are considered a progressive generation. One of smartphones and online textbooks, push-to-start cars and Beats by Dre, a generation that listens to the advice of Siri and yearns to learn exactly what secret Victoria has. Yet we are constantly pushed back by certain stigmas. The idea that people of color don't deserve equal treatment, and that women aren't capable of the same success men are, that who you love determines your legal rights. Not everyone believes in these ideas, but the shocking thing is that many Millennials do. Based on my experiences, thoughts, opinions, and the experiences and ideas of others, I will be exploring social justice issues that plague our generation: gender equality and sexism, homosexuality and gay rights, racial discrimination and the racial revolution, privilege in America, unspoken heroes of change, and a final expose of my thoughts and life.

I hope that you all will join me through this series, and I encourage all of the Odyssey readers to contribute and voice your opinion. This series is a platform for the entire community to speak to a larger audience. If you have an issue you'd like to see discussed or would like the opportunity to write, please let us know, as we would like to have you contribute.

With the conclusion of this introduction article, I would like to leave you with a few quotes from close friends and acquaintances of things others have said to them or about them. I would like you all to keep these quotes in mind while following this series, and I hope that it might start a fire for change.

"You're a woman, so you sell more warranties than I do. I mean, girls are better at flirting their way into those things, so you're better at selling them than me."

"He's black, you'll have to forgive him."

"Our church doesn't need that sand-nigger girl in our worship, she's ruining what we're about."

"It's not my fault you're poor."

"Stop acting so gay, you play basketball for God's Sake. Basketball players aren't gay."