I loved getting out and exploring the farm and finding ways to have fun which somehow led to me always getting in trouble, but my favorite activity as a child and even now is reading. I’ve always been attracted to books starting at a young age which can definitely explain why my bookcase looks the way it looks.
When reflecting on my eighteen years on Earth, I can honestly say that I’ve read over 300 books. I’ve read books about a child losing her fight to cancer (Zink by Cherie Bennett), a friend regaining her memory after killing all her friends in an accidental house fire (We Were Liars by E. Lockhart) , and one where police brutality is highlighted (The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas); however, I was never able to ultimately figure out why I was so in love with reading.
Of course, I loved the opportunity to escape from the, sometimes, boring farm which books provide, but I wouldn’t exactly say that’s the reason why I love reading. Reading books, also, don’t allow you to break your finger from riding on a Gator, a John Deere golf cart and not a real alligator, wrong sending you straight to the hospital and ultimately ending your gymnastics career, but that’s still not a justification on why I like reading.
It wasn’t until recently when I discovered why I love reading and exactly why I was drawn to books at a young age and the impact they had on my life leading to one of the biggest decisions I had to make in my life.
If you haven’t been on a social media and news fast then you probably are well aware of the event that happened at my college where students burned a book from a Latinx author after she came to the college and gave a speech about white privilege. I was actually at the speaking event where things became heated and I’m still waiting for CNN, the New York Times, or some news source to come interview me so I can finally get my fifteen minutes of fame and become an internet sensation like the “hide yo kids, hide yo wife” man, Antoine Dodson.
After a video of students burning the Latinx author’s book on campus surfaced, most people were either enraged with the Latinx author or completely agreed with her and began to demand actions. Actually, this split on the campus is still going on after over 7 days from her, hopefully not but probably last, visit on campus.
My viewpoints of the speech were somewhat split, but this article isn’t about what I thought about the speech. Throughout the whole situation, I began to feel some sort of unrest and I didn’t know why. I was constantly checking Twitter and for an official statement from my college, updates from the author, and the different opinions of my classmates. I was desperately trying to collect pieces of information about the event as if it were Oxygen.
You see, I didn’t think one person’s opinions could cause so much unrest at a place where I spent over ¾ of my day at. A place that I considered a home away from home. I wanted to do something about this situation, but at the time it felt like there was nothing that I could do. I wanted to be the voice of the Latinx author, my college, the minority and majority all at the same time. I wanted to run without having to crawl and walk first.
This whole event made me realize why I was drawn to books. I wasn’t drawn to the words, the pictures on the cover, or the authors, I was drawn to the power found within the pages of a book. I was drawn to how one author’s words could cause so much unrest. I’m not an Avengers fan and I have not and will not watch Avengers End Game so forgive me if I sound dumb, but I felt like Thanos and the power in the books were the infinity gauntlets stones. If you don’t understand what I’m trying to say then just think about how powerful of an impact “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas had on society. It was as if America woke up and began to take action on the problem facing African Americans and the police instead of ignoring it. That lame “knowledge is power and knowledge comes from reading” wasn’t so lame anymore.
The power within that Latinx author’s book created an epiphany for me and many others. I figured out that being scared to do something that I was obviously called for was selfish of me. I was put on the Earth to represent those who felt alone, forgotten and useless and it was time for me to grow up and take that responsibility instead of being scared of the negative backlash and judgemental opinions of others that my future will definitely include. So what does this have to do with the biggest decision of my life?
This whole scenario made me declare and realize that I wanted to obtain a major in Public Relations and a minor in Political Science and Writing; however, I was too scared to declare this powerful combination because I realized how powerful it was and I didn’t think I was ready to handle this combination. I knew at a young age that I wanted to be either a lawyer, a writer, or a political figure, but I couldn’t find a major that incorporates all of these occupations. I didn’t need to find that major because that major found me. I want to be a voice for those who felt like their voice doesn’t belong (lawyer), share my opinions and ideas with others in the oratorical and written format (writer), and use my platform to make a difference in the world (political figure) and my majors and minors allow me to do all of those things.
Throughout this turmoil on campus caused by one book, I was able to find myself and I’m thankful for this. I don’t know what my future and future occupation looks like, but that doesn’t matter to me because I know it will be something I love and will make a difference in the world. So excuse me, because I’m too busy changing the world to let my fears and negative feedback stop me.