Shirley Sherrod

                
           

On July 2010 Shirley Sherrod was forced to resign from her post at the Agricultural Department. The reason: a clip that proved she was a "racist" because she did not fully help a white farmer save his land, at least that is what Fox News presented. The bombshell Fox News brought about caused Ms. Sherrod to be insulted and called a racist. It made her boss, a NAACP representative, and a government official to condemn her and ask for her resignation. All these officials acted based on a clip presented by Fox News. Not one of them bothered to ask Ms. Sherrod what had happened. Not one watched her entire speech. If they had watched the entire clip they would have know that Ms. Sherrod mentioned her anecdote to tell her audience that she realized the issue was not about color but poor families. She actually helped the family as much as she could. She even became close friends with the farmers. Yet, this entire story was not presented by Fox News. All the anchors made judgments about Ms. Sherrod and demanded that she face consequences because racism is not “tolerated” in the U.S. let alone in the government.  

       First off Fox News presented the case as if it had occurred recently. In reality the incident had occurred 20 years back. Also, Ms. Sherrod was not working for the Agriculture Department back then thus there was no racist act committed within Obama's officials. A whole bomb was exploded over this case. Why? Because Ms. Sherrod was an African-American who had committed a "racist" act against a white farmer. How could a black woman be racists to a white farmer like that? How dare she admit openly that she was racist? Who does she think she is? This is America the country of the equal and free. There is no room for racists here right? Wrong!

Let’s pretend that Ms. Sherrod was actually racist. Let’s also pretend that she did not help that white farmer and that she was working for the Department of Agriculture. In this scenario she would have only been one out of many workers in the Department of Agriculture to commit racist’s acts. Take the Pigford case for example. And before you get confused because you probably have not heard of such a case, since it was probably not publicized a lot, let me explain. The Pigford case was a law suit filed by black farmer Pigford and others against the Department of Agriculture. They stated rightly stated that the USDA was discriminatory against them.

Analyzing such case, black farmers had to unite and openly accused the USDA for racism. The USDA did not openly and on live television demand that all those racist workers resign. They did not insult those workers. Instead the kept quite. They kept quite because the racist workers were white! So why did they not keep quiet when Shirley Sherrod, the black worker was racist. Why did Fox News hide her act when they had hidden acts of the other workers? The answer is too obvious to say and shows how racism still lingers and there is no post-racial America. If you still don’t believe me well read this article or just move on with your confused life.   

       Word Count: 546

NO MORE!

Found at nowloss.com

                 Perfection; that is a word obsessed over by society. It is a word that is used to define how we women need to be. There is a mental or academic perfection and then there is the physical. Although boys also go through the same issue, (having a lean, buff, strong, tall body) I will address my perspective which is that of a women. Perfection for us women means big, round butt and breasts, lean body, silky hair, smooth face and body otherwise known as a “beach body” as defined by People. It is no wonder that not only do we see it in actresses, as presented by People, but we also see it in music videos, commercials, TV shows, games, posters, etc. We are bombarded by all these images of perfection and thus began to accept it and try to portray it. I mean how many of us have seen those magazines that especially during this time of year have headlines like “Ten ways to obtain the perfect body” or “Secrets to obtain that body you’ve always wanted.” Only a small percent of women have the so called "perfect body" and the rest are finding ways of obtain it. We need to stop this. It is true that we need to be healthy and that may require losing weight but that does not mean injuring ourselves. We are born a certain way and that is that.

            As much as I don’t like it, I have been influenced by the media. When I think about how I dress, I feel like I might objectify myself but not really. For one, I dress aware that there will be men (notice I’m not saying boys) who will stare at my body. I feel naked whenever I get those stairs from men. I feel disgusted by them whenever they open their mouths. I understand that generally men and women are attracted to each other but that does not mean that grown men should look at a girl in that nasty way. Who are they to look at me and tell me I’m “rica” or I look “good” if they do not know who I truly am. It is sad to say but because of such actions by men I use to always cover myself up. I did not like wearing tight clothing or short clothing because I knew there be men that would have those disgusting looks on them.
            This past Friday I wore a short dress with leggings. I like the dress and thought that it would be a nice change from the pants I've been wearing. I felt comfortable too. After arriving at my summer program, the Cathedral Scholars, many of my classmates complemented me on how i looked. I did, however, notice that many people looked at me more than usual. I begin to wonder: Do they look at me so much that a slight change makes them stare and study/eye me like this? A few of the looks I did not mind, others I sensed something but tried to ignore it. As i left the program, outsider stares kicked in. It was uncomfortable but I held my head high. I met my mom and sister, and then we left to see Harry Potter 7 Part 2. Again, more stares. I enjoyed the movie and cared less about the looks I received earlier. Then, as my mom, sister, and I walked home more stares, but what caught my attention was the look of this one woman who gave me a disapproving look. I knew it was because of my attire. I wanted to smack her because 1) her daughter was wearing booty shorts and 2) she had no right at looking at me and judging me in such a way. I could not take it anymore. I wanted to run home and change into pants and a T-shirt. But, I calmed myself down and walked on. Once home I asked my mom what she thought of my outfit and if it showed too much. She told me I looked really nice and decent. I felt better. The incident made me recollect that not only do men judge us, but also other women. Regardless of whom it is, WHO ARE THEY TO DO SO? SERIOUSLY PEOPLE STOP THIS NONSENSE!      
            Lately though I am beginning to not care. As much as I wish they would not look I know I can’t really change them. I also know that I do not have to hide myself because of them. I will not let them influence me anymore. On one hand that is good, on another I have moved to being influenced by other girls and the media. I notice the style of girls my age: some I have adapted to like the skinny jeans. At first I thought they were too much but they are not that bad. The bad thing is that while it is comfortable, I wear it because unconsciously, I know my bottom half is nicely displayed.
After the incident I went through though, I am done. I WILL NOT dress for anyone else but me. I will listen to advice because I do not want to look a mess but I am done thinking about the approval of others. I will also not judge others. I am also beginning to think more that even if I target boys I should not do it for them. I mean most will look and I will not even get to know them. Why should I worry about someone I will never meet? Besides even if I do think they are cute because of the way they look, I do not truly know who they are and they don’t know who I am.  I need to think more about whether 1) I feel comfortable and 2) I truly like what I wear, not society, not boys, not others, but me.
      Word Count: 987

Joe Turner's Come but not Gone from "post-racial" U.S.

White Supremecist DC Shooting in Post-Racial America

            Living in the small town of Puno, Peru, racism and even race based on skin color were matters of little concern. It’s not a highly diverse town and the people that have heritage from Asia or Africa are more or less respected. In my family alone I have a cousin that has an African heritage, and we all love her. Racism came in the form of people of the upper class disrespecting the indigenous low-class citizens. It is for this reason that coming to the U.S. was a shocker when I learned about the treatment of African Americans and other cultures, not only throughout history but in the present day.
            My mom and I tried coming to the U.S. before but knew it would be costly and based on luck. We were fortunate to find my step dad, who is a U.S. citizen to help us. He evidently made the process faster because we witness the difficulty other people experienced. It was most clear when my cousin wanted to obtain her visa. She tried twice with no success. My mom and I knew that if my step dad had been there it would have taken only one attempt.
            When I ponder about our experiences living here I realize that racism has not really knocked on our door because of the fact that we have my step dad with us. My mom and I were able to obtain our temporary residence, green card, and then our citizenship with his help and presence. I know this because my mom and I have talked to people that waited 20 or more years to finally obtain their documents. One of my uncle’s friends obtained his citizenship at the age of 70. He came to the U.S. when he was 21.
            Although open racism against my mom and I has not happened yet, I have experienced innocent offensive acts mainly about my accent. On my first day of school in the U.S. I remember seeing people speak, but I did not understanding a word they said. At one point these two boys came up to me, said something, laughed at my confused look, one said something else, and both laughed harder and walked away. I will always wonder what they had said to me and believe that it was something bad because i could not understand a word they said. Throughout elementary school there would be times when some students would laugh or make fun of the way I said certain words. I would be annoyed, but as time went by I realized that my accent is part of me and even if people make fun of my speech, I should just join in their laughter because there is nothing I can and want to do about it.
            Apart from these acts there have just been ignorant, stereotypical comments made about me. “Are you Spanish?”, “Are you Mexican?”, “Do you speak Spanish?”, “Are you illegal?” are just a few of the numerous questions I have come across that are offensive and angering.
            I have been blessed with good fortune being a young Latina/ Hispanic female immigrant in the U.S. It is for this reason that racists’ acts such as the one that occurred at Santa Monica HS are shocking yet believable. I know through hearing the experiences of friends and other people that racism lingers on. I know and people know there is no post-racial America. Joe Turner’s ghost is walking about and has not rested yet. The Santa Monica case says it, Reggie says it, “A Fair Game?” says it, and most importantly statistics say it.  How is it possible that America is post-racial when a black man without a record cannot get a job, while a white man with one can? How can America be post-racial when minority students are being suspended more than white students? I need answers fellow citizens that believe America is post-racial. If you can answer these two questions I will erase my entry and apologize to you.
        Word Count: 669

Like a cat with dilated eyes

By Roberta Striga from Hubpages

                                                                  

        Sometimes I feel that I’m easily inspired, but then I realize that is not necessarily bad. Whether I hear a particular speech, song, conversation, presentation, or I witness an event, there is always an inner feeling within me that rises. It is hard to explain exactly what the feeling is or how it feels but it is as if a power comes over me and strengthens me. Like Popeye when eating spinach, or like Ron thinking that he drank Felix.  Unlike Popeye I don’t get big and buff but there is a deeper more spiritual strengthening. After each moment of inspiration I know I can keep achieving my goals. I know that my projects are progressing and improving. I know that a slowdown is not the end but a mere pebble along the road. My vision becomes a reality.

            One of my latest inspirations comes from the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It is the scene where Sam is talking to Frodo right after Frodo tried to kill him.

“It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness  and danger they were. And sometimes you did not want to know the end cause  how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come and when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if we were too small to understand. But I think Mr. Frodo I do understand, I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t, they kept going because they were holding onto something”. ‘What are we holding onto Sam?’ (Frodo) That there’s some good in this world Mr. Frodo and its worth fighting.”

This is one of my favorite moments in the movie and the reason why Sam is my favorite character. He speaks the truth. We have the opportunity to turn back but  we don’t, I don’t because as bad as society looks, there is still hope.  

            One of my learning interests is immigration, especially illegal immigration. Learning about the difficult experiences of various immigrants, their importance, and their isolation from this country that is in need of them is amazing. There is still so much I need to learn and I am excited to learn it. One of my inspirational songs is Mojado by Ricardo Arjona. The song is about wetbacks, aliens, and criminals as all immigrants are called. The song mentions some of the wishes and experiences of illegal immigrants in a metaphorical manner. Whenever I listen to this song I know this interest is important and I need to keep embracing it.

            I was part of the Learn Serve International Fellows Program this past school year. Im the program I was able to create a venture project out of it and be constantly inspired by other fellows and guest speakers. Every Thursday at 4:30 I knew inspiration would come. I recall one of speakers was a young woman who had started her own organizations to help orphans in the Middle East. She faced many obstacles but persisted and now helps thousands of orphans. Her and many others truly influenced me and motivated me to keep developing my venture even if at times I felt like giving up.  

            To most people these moments are unimportant or seemingly boring. To me they are unforgettable moments. Whenever i get inspired I think that I look like a cat about to attack its prey. The eyes dilate and the body readjusts. It’s a wonderful feeling because constant inspiration allows me to keep moving with my aspirations. It brings me back into my senses and pushes me to move forward. I know that empowerment/ inspiration is not all it takes to move forward but it is a main component. It is not hard for me to achieve empowerment because for me it happens almost every day, everywhere.