Rumination on racism in America in 2020
I have found it difficult to find my words when it comes to racism in America. But as I watched at a Saturday teaching session organized by my friend Lemond and his organization, Swaliga Foundation, a STEAM education non-profit, I saw how important it was to share my voice. These kids reminded me how it is important to speak up though one’s thoughts on the matter may be incomplete or possibly flawed. Not as a teacher instructing students, but as a fellow human burdened by our flaws, I wish to compare some of my thoughts with yours so that I may grow to be a more compassionate person.
As I watched those students show courage and emotional brilliance, I pondered the world they could someday inherit. Society has deeply troubling bugs, not features, that have resulted in a system with deeply troubling consequences. And the system that governs American society, has benefited few rather than many, despite the abundance available to us all. Consequently, history continues to prove that pursuing one’s happiness can be oppressively difficult in America for black people, indigenous people, and other “people of color”. Today, it is in our face as police brutality. But tomorrow, I fear for the more subtle and devious oppression.
At Swaliga, we help students connect their passion to successful careers by engaging them through STEAM education and entertainment. But, with these recent events, I lament how their successful careers may be curtailed by a society that has exploited them based on the color of their skin. How do we equip younger people so they may build a better society? And for us who have the wherewithal right now, what questions should we really be asking? What must be better understood to pursue a more ideal society with the boldness this moment necessitates? Where must pressure be maintained?
I am no stranger to racism. Strangely enough, though, my most aggressive encounter with racism was not in America but in England. I was a graduate student living just outside Manchester in a city called Salford. My friend and I were heading to the nearby Tesco during the day to grab some groceries when a man accosted us proclaiming how we did not belong there. He was white, though I suspect it was his education, or lack thereof, and not his skin color that filled him with such racist hate. He spouted his hateful words because of our brown skin. His aggression was so emphatic that I drew in close to my friend preparing for a fight. Fortunately, he remained a simple, verbal aggressor, nothing more.
As I watch what is going on in America, I think of the journey my color has made to this country. I am a first-generation American Filipino. My parents grew up in the poor, rural Philippines and emigrated to the US with hope for a better tomorrow. They traveled to the US on their own volition and not against their will. Like many others, they lifted my family into a decent, happy, and loving life according to the laws of this land, despite its flaws.
I plan to continue living in America to build upon my parent’s work. I do dream of creating generational wealth, knowledge, and wisdom like that enjoyed by those who have lived here for several generations. Of all the countries in the world, I believe I can best accomplish this here. I believe this hope, this American dream, is what truly makes this country great. It is in this hope that I find the strength to take a higher path when subjected to racism. Imagine what a better place this could be if we could honestly and respectfully restore this hope again to the many people filled with doubt, suspicion, and contempt.
