I am absolutely petrified. Why, do you ask? Because I live in a world that’s run by narcissism, and where oppression and segregation still remain. Because it is “extremely controversial” to talk about racism in America from a white girl’s perspective. It’s 2018, a time that was promised for equality in every aspect of life. Yet, we see a minimal amount of change, and boy, do we need it.

I knew this was something I had to write about when I heard one of my very good friends share a poem regarding her skin color, and how people call her something along the lines of a “black white girl.” I witnessed the very first time she shared this poem in our Advanced Composition class, and I felt the pain she felt. It wasn’t her exact pain, because I will never be able to go through what she goes through in today’s America. Instead, the tears that fell from my eyes originated from her heartache: NO person should ever hurt from the ignorant words of the “privileged.” Ignorance should not be an excuse for racism.

My purpose is to serve as the voice. I want to at least try to contribute to the movement that is so essential for racial changes in the African American community. We need to have ALL kinds of voices contribute to the issue, because without everybody involved, there will be no change, and racism will be inevitable.

While writing this, I struggled immensely with using my own words and monitoring my own thoughts simply because things can be taken out of context. I will never experience what African Americans experience, but I listen. I ask questions when I am confused about something, and I learn because I want to. I think this is a lesson that everybody should take in: Learn to fix mistakes of the past, and work on repairing the future.