Changes To Come

Dear Mr. President

I want to walk golden streets, with white lilies scattered about. Walk past golden gates and into my own home. I want to peer out at glittering blue seas each morning outside of my bedroom window. To live life without worries and to feel no pain would also be of great significance. I know however that these ideas are merely fantasies. All the pennies in the world could not create this ideal world. So, I bring to you a proposal that is doable. One that has the ability to get us, as a community, closer to a better world. I hope that you, Mr. President, who has taken on such a high commanding role in our society, can lead us closer to this imaginary idea of a utopia, doing so by promoting the acceptance of other religious groups, people of different hues and immigrants who migrate to this great land of freedom, America.
Unity means the gathering of people together. These gatherings however not only bring people closer together physically, but on a deeper, emotional level. This emotional level, allows us to reflect on ourselves as well as one other . All too often in our own world however we find such togetherness in groups consisting of people who look like us, dress like us, and are from the same place we come from. Many wish not to know those outside of the circle. A large circle, with few people within it. Before you question of the importance of approaching this growing problem, please do keep in mind that every day someone commits a hate crime. It is due to this lack of unity there has been an increase of violence against people of different ethnic backgrounds, religions, and those of immigration status. On April 14th, 2008 at 6pm an African American male was walking down the street of Crown Heights when he was ambushed by Jewish boys with pepper sprays, who attacked him with it. Racial attacks, such as this occur frequently in the Crown Heights neighborhood, on both ends of the playing field. If there was more understanding of the differences people have among one another, it is my belief that these violent actions would not occur.
In my own life I have experienced a vast amount of racism, which has brought me physiological pain. At the age of ten I was told by a black man that worked at my middle school that no matter how intelligent I am that because I am an African American woman I would never make anything of myself in the “white man’s world”. After this was said I sat glued to the seat across from his. “What?” I had said and he repeated himself. To be told such a thing at a young age is very detrimental to their state of mind in the future. I could have easily given up all hope of success. Maybe if I was another child who takes such things personally, I would not care about school. These comments are said on a day to today basis and many do take it into context and this hate causes pain.
In order to combat these malevolent acts various workshops in the communities experiencing the most hardships should be established. These workshops would revolve around the idea of tolerance. This outreach to the various communities on their own turf, in their own surroundings, would address the problem in a calm manner. It is in this way that allows us to not point fingers at one another on the basis of who causes the problems. It is in these workshops that trained volunteers will educate those in the community about ways to tolerate others and the methods to avoid confrontations. These workshops should present information, but also include active learning allowing people to participate in a way that would help them to understand the importance of acceptance. The next stage of this process should then be to develop different videos demonstrating the backgrounds behind those of different values. After this process occurs a phase of interaction between the different kinds of people should occur, and if people still feel uncomfortable with those they dislike, further actions of one on one time with staff members should occur. This one on one process, along with advertisement of the issue and the workshop would cost the government a few thousand dollars, however the price of having to find space for dead bodies and employing more police officers is far more for the state to handle.


So, Mr. President I implore you to make a change, to bring us together, which would better our society.