In light of our upcoming event on April 26th, I wanted to ask students at Loyola a series of questions in regards to race. Race is, and always has been, a controversial topic in our nation. In discussing issues regarding race, I hope to open up dialogue that may help combat racism, at least on our campus.
“I don’t think that racism will ever disappear because there will always be one group who feels that they are superior just because that is what they were taught. It’s so far gone, that sometimes an individual doesn’t recognize when they are being biased to a person due to their race. There are these underlying traits that people associate with various groups unknowingly and that is very difficult to change because there will always be ignorant people who are unwilling to educate themselves on how their biases affect others. No institution, whether political or academic, can really change how a person thinks. Yes, you can teach someone the facts and enlighten them, but at the end of the day a person has to be the one who makes a conscious effort to change their thoughts and actions. Sadly, there are numerous people who do not think that there is anything wrong with them expressing ideas that other might find racist. Thus, you have these people who continue to harbor these ideals and pass them down to generations”
-Jennile O’Connor, first-year
“I think race is as arbitrary a marker of an individual’s character as the color of the t-shirt they’re wearing. Racism is an issue that has plagued our world since we first developed societies many generations ago, but humanity has grown so much in just the last century alone, that we should not be discriminating against other people based on their background or the color of their skin. I think we have been conditioned by our media, the society around us, and even our genetics, to see other people as ‘different.’ But our world is rapidly becoming more democratized and progressive. For that reason, influential nations such as the U.S. need to show the rest of the developing world that racism cannot be a part of our future narrative.”
-Jacky James, second-year
“I think racism is learned. In order for something to be learned, there has to be some form of teaching. Whether that be from a parent, a peer or teacher in school, a coworker, a politician or an author, individuals cannot avoid encountering racism in all facets of life. This is sad and unfortunate, but the truth of the matter is that racism has to come from somewhere but it is up to us, as intellectuals, to decide what is right and what is wrong.”
-Hayley Accola, third-year
“I think racism is taught and learned. This is because as we grow up, we all have different chemicals in our brain, which controls the way we conceive and understand experiences. On top of that, we all live through a variety of experiences which shapes our reactions and understanding of things. Because race is a social construct, a combination of our brain processing, outside environment, and they way we discuss race as we grow up, [it] shapes the way we look at race. I think if we all had positive and open minds about different races, we would have more love [towards others.] Racism is alive today because people are afraid of the unknown, and in most cases, this unknown is a different race than their own, therefore, creating false ideas and conceptions about what we think of a particular race.”
-Katrina Demas, third-year
“ Causes of racism: ⁃ Ignorance: In the sense that there is a lack of understanding. Growing up in a community that is predominantly one race can lead to racism because these people are not exposed to other cultures. These people may be aware that there is a difference, but have not been educated about the cultural differences. Being receptive to new ideas does not come natural to everyone. The non-receptive people are put out of their comfort zone and cannot deal with change. This can be argued as an inherent trait based on personality or a learned behavior. ⁃ Socioeconomic status can also lead to ignorance. A person that is raised in a wealthy community their whole life may not understand the struggles a person born in an impoverished community has. Privilege creates opportunities, and those with privilege in the sense of wealth, may believe that they’re superior to those in a lower socioeconomic class. A reason for this can be the idea that privileged people are attempting to accomplish more things and have a greater impact in the world. These people may also see themselves as harder workers because their jobs require a higher skill set. However, this is not always the case because a person living in poverty usually does not care about anything else other than trying to put food on the table or simply raise enough money to have a place to sleep. Most of the time, there is no opportunity for these people to develop many aspirations. For example, a kid born into poverty most likely will have to get a job to help pay rent or buy food which takes away time to focus on school and take advantage of extra curricular activities. The schools within these communities are usually not funded well leading to a below average education. Consequentially, the impoverished kid will be intellectually underdeveloped. This creates a division between socioeconomic classes as one group of people see themselves as a better in many aspects.”
-Allan Haney, fourth-year
“I believe racism is taught. Children grow up to share so many similar views with their parents because your environment shapes who you are, which forms your beliefs and opinions about others. I have hope in our world but, as much as I want to believe it will, I think that racism will be something that is never completely gone.”
-Emily Morley, second-year
The great Nelson Mandela once said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Let us, as intelligent and enlightened young adults, use our education to choose love and equality.