To whom it may concern,
I’m a 20 year-old with aspirations out the window. I want to make a few things clear: you will not stand in my way. I will break through your negative views and succeed in life. You will be left in the dust, and I really couldn't care less. I don’t know what led you to think that discriminating against people was OK, but I was told that if I didn’t have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all. Until now. It’s my turn to speak.
I am a social work major, so diversity is just an everyday topic in my life. I didn’t grow up with it, so it was something I had to learn. Even though I grew up in an almost all white neighborhood, I still knew that I should never judge someone based on their appearance. Sure, I was picked on for not ganging up on the “gay kid” like everyone else, and for not calling the only black kid in my school foolish names. But I look at who I am now, and boy do I have a leg up in this world.
I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed this week, and I saw a post bashing the Super Bowl 50 halftime show because of having “diversity shoved down” the public’s throat. My heart nearly stopped when I saw this. Not only was this post hard to swallow, but what made it worse were the comments that followed. They all agreed with this person and let the hate keep boiling up. I could not comprehend what I was visually digesting.
I don’t understand what the big deal is with change. I understand that you have religious views, and I am fully supportive. If you are so connected with your faith, don’t you want others to have that right too? How would you feel if someone stripped your rights from you and forbade you to go to church? I bet pretty damn awful. I understand that maybe you can’t put yourself into someone else’s shoes until it really affects you or someone you care about. But why can’t you just imagine how much pain you would be enduring if you or a loved one had to go through life being hated for who they love? What if one day, the law changed and you could no longer get married because you were straight? Think of the role reversal. We are all human and we were all created equal.
I feel the need to speak out for those who are considered voiceless today. I want to give all that I was given to help advocate for everyone who is being discriminated against, defined as weird and facing harsh obstacles in their everyday life. So I ask you please, give change another thought. Please take what I have to say and try to open your eyes to what change has to offer. The diversity in our nation is what makes us special. We are the melting pot, so let’s start acting like one. As for who we are now, hold my hand on the journey. We are young, with fresh minds and young spirits. Let’s fight for the rights of others to make this world a better place for all. I think it is important to remember the wise and precious words that Frederick Douglass stated:
It is easier to build strong children, than to rebuild broken adults.
Signed,
A Hopeful Leader
