He had such a big heart and he dedicated his life to feeding them. I feel like he gives them hope because he was once in their shoes and he knows what it feels like to go to sleep hungry. I feel so bad for how I once thought of immigrants. I have so much respect for them now. I know that all they want to do is help their families and make a better life for themselves. There is nothing wrong in that. I learned that they can work years and years putting money into 41ks and retirement and never get a penny of that money. It’s not fair I feel like this country needs a quicker more effective immigration system. I see why people come into the country illegally because trying to do it the right way could take years and cost money. Its not right for the skilled wealthy immigrants to have a better chance than the regular everyday people. I tried to think of an idea of how immigrants could come and get a start at a stable new life. I think that there should be establishments around the border where they come receive food and stay. They have one year to live there and saving money and stabilizing themselves. I know there are many holes in my idea but it was just a thought. I just want to help.

After watching the video of the immigrants it was hard watching them struggle. I could not believe that if they found work they would work all day without food. It was sad that they come to America for a better life and to make money for their families but they are struggling, starving and homeless on the streets. I never thought there was competition for work. I thought there was always work. I didn’t know that half of the people standing looking for work were not getting it. Before we discussed immigration I was never happy about it. Was scared for immigrants to come to this country because I thought they would change everything. When I heard that United States second language was going to be Spanish I was scared because I thought the country was conforming to make this country more livable for immigrants. I didn’t like how there were small secluded towns of immigrants that only spoke their language. The way I saw it, if you’re in United States you should be able to speak English. Now when I think back on how I thought of immigrants, I was very small minded and had no idea the struggles they were going through. My heart was touched when I watched the man making meals for all the immigrants.

After watching the video of the immigrants it was hard watching them struggle. I could not believe that if they found work they would work all day without food. It was sad that they come to America for a better life and to make money for their families but they are struggling, starving and homeless on the streets. I never thought there was competition for work. I thought there was always work. I didn’t know that half of the people standing looking for work were not getting it. Before we discussed immigration I was never happy about it. Was scared for immigrants to come to this country because I thought they would change everything. When I heard that United States second language was going to be Spanish I was scared because I thought the country was conforming to make this country more livable for immigrants. I didn’t like how there were small secluded towns of immigrants that only spoke their language. The way I saw it, if you’re in United States you should be able to speak English. Now when I think back on how I thought of immigrants, I was very small minded and had no idea the struggles they were going through. My heart was touched when I watched the man making meals for all the immigrants. He had such a big heart and he dedicated his life to feeding them. I feel like he gives them hope because he was once in their shoes and he knows what it feels like to go to sleep hungry. I feel so bad for how I once thought of immigrants. I have so much respect for them now. I know that all they want to do is help their families and make a better life for themselves. There is nothing wrong in that. I learned that they can work years and years putting money into 41ks and retirement and never get a penny of that money. It’s not fair I feel like this country needs a quicker more effective immigration system. I see why people come into the country illegally because trying to do it the right way could take years and cost money. Its not right for the skilled wealthy immigrants to have a better chance than the regular everyday people. I tried to think of an idea of how immigrants could come and get a start at a stable new life. I think that there should be establishments around the border where they come receive food and stay. They have one year to live there and saving money and stabilizing themselves. I know there are many holes in my idea but it was just a thought. I just want to help.

In high school our history class consisted of many different cultures and events but not one time did we learn about the Native Americans in the United States. The first time I heard about the mass genocide of the Native American was last semester in a literature class. We briefly read a story about families that were completely wiped out, and villages that were destroyed. I had no idea of this before this class. I was appalled at how all my years of high school, we never covered this. I was almost in embarrassed that I didn’t know about such a crucial event. What makes matters worse is I was not the only one who didn’t know about the persecution of Indians in the class. Then later this year when it was brought up in class I was so eager to learn more about what had happen to these innocent people. I can’t even imagine the horror that took place then. If I learned one thing from the class it would definitely be that United States has some deep dark secrets. They are willing to go through great lengths to keep them concealed. Why isn’t this subject talked about in schools more? Do they want us to forget it? I feel like United States is ashamed for what they did and they are trying to leave it in the past. The evidence of the past is still apparent in the way of life of the Natives today. I know that it isn’t right but if I was a Native American I would hate the United States. I would feel like how dare they take all my land and kill my people, then have the nerve to give me back my own secluded section of land back. United States thinks that they have the right to take whatever they see and desire, just like the oil overseas we talked about, they think that is theirs too! My heart is torn, I am learning so many terrible things about a country I felt so honored and blessed to be born in. Another thing that was sad to see was the living conditions of the Natives. United States gives millions and millions of dollars to other countries and they are unable to help out citizens within their country. There is no excuse for someone in the United States to not have electricity and heat. This country at least owes them that. Why are they living in poor make shift houses? This country is so unfair. Not only should they have been given land but they should have been given the tools needed to establish a successful and thriving reservation. My heart goes out to the Native Americans and I am deeply sorry for my ignorance.

The movie that hit me the most was the video of the men steeling wood. They live in such a poor country and they were punished for trying to heat their home. When the soldiers shot up the man’s car and then ran over it with their tank, my heart dropped. It was devastating hearing after that that man was a taxi driver and that was his livelihood. I feel so dumb. Whenever I see these photos and images on the news it is all about how we are helping over there, how we are saving lives, and helping children. After that video I felt guilty for being an American. I am ashamed of how the soldiers have been treating the people over there. America is portrayed to be so generous and so helpful mean while we are just as dirty and corrupt as anybody else. I don’t know why I fell for it, I should have known; at the end of the day we are all humans and just because we are American, we are perfect by no means. Ever since I have seen the video it has replayed in my head over and over. I wish so badly that there was something I could do. I know not all soldiers are like the ones in the videos but I am scared of how many there are out there. My biggest wish would be able to speak to the civilians and show them that we all are not like that. There are so many Americans that care and are so willing to help out. America is so selfish and greedy, I admit to being so ignorant of the situation but I did not know the situation about oil. I know we are one of the strongest countries in the world but that still does not give us any right to take whatever we want. Where do we draw the line? That is not our oil. We project ourselves as a Christian country but there is nothing Godlike about what we are doing. We are killing hundreds of thousands maybe even millions of innocent lives for oil that is not even ours. How do we justify our actions? We are only building enemies, I am scared for the future our countries. I hate how I don’t have a say in how the civilians are looking at our country as a whole right now. I feel if we were able invent and create energy using oil then we are smart enough to create energy using something else. If we could resolve the energy crisis then the pressure United States would be released and more importantly save many lives. All I can say at the end of this is…America, and innocent civilians, you are in my prayers.

The point made today in class really made me think about why I get dressed and who do I get dressed for. I have always loved fashion and got a sense of satisfaction for myself when I put together a great outfit. As for what my outfits entail, yes, I would say my clothes are “tastefully revealing”. By this phrase I mean they show just enough, I don’t look like a nun but I don’t look like a whore either. The clothes I wear only show as much as I am comfortable to reveal. But why do I choose to reveal anything in the first place? I honestly have no idea. I don’t think it’s for boys, I always assumed it was for me. I know that the boys like more skin but I like to feel that I am in control of what I wear. There is something about heels on a female that automatically define the length and beauty of her legs and more importantly most woman feel increasingly more confident. Men feel confident in their shoes and button ups and woman feel confident in their heels. Say for a second I did want to dress very modest and cover up everything, I honestly don’t think that is possible. There is no such thing as a floor length skirt in stores anymore. I do not even think there is such thing as a club dress that is not tight, that would be called a nightgown. I have come to the conclusion that the way I dress to go out is mostly me, partly that is just how our culture dresses to go out, and a small minute reason for boys( if I must admit). In the culture that we live in, to go out is to wear a somewhat formal outfit with heels. This is just what is accepted as the social norm for girls going out. I do not think girls have a problem with that because if we hated it we wouldn’t have an obsession for heels and get excited to put our outfits together when it is time to go out. Although I would like to argue that boys could do a little more when they get dressed to go out, but that is what is normal for our culture. As for the girls who do walk across campus with nothing on and no coat with open toed heels. I feel sorry for them because I refuse to put myself in that predicament. When girls do things like that then I think that could be considered dressing for boys, because who would want to put themselves through that. Overall I guess we could blame it on both, males and females take part in what we girls choose to wear out.

Being that I am from a predominately white neighborhood and school I have always been surrounded by everyone different than me. I have encountered many situations of racism but there is a fine line been racism and just ignorance. In school all the girls would ask me questions like, why is your hair like that/ How did you get your hair to do that? I would hear comments like, your butt is so big and you never need to tan because you’re dark already. Little did they know but big butts in my culture are attractive and black people do tan in the sun. For a while I would try to educate them but after years of explaining common sense to them I couldn’t do it any longer. Being that I lived close to the city all lot of my friends thought that the city was a dangerous place that consisted of only black people. I remember one boy in my class saying that he would get shot if he came to my house. After his ignorant comment I went to the bathroom and cried, not because he hurt my families or stereotyped to the max but because he was just so ignorant to everything. None of them knew anything outside of their plush suburban homes and rich private school. He was so lost and he would never see unless he had the opportunity to venture out of his bubble. To this day I hope and pray he get to see all the other beautiful different people there are in this world, and maybe even one day venture to the city. I can’t be mad at those kids at my school because they haven’t been exposed to anything else. Now racism on the other hand is a different story. I have encountered many cases if racism. One time when I was younger after my soccer game we went to shake hands with the opposing team one of the girls refused shake my hand. I went to my mom and told her how the girl would not shake my hand. My mother was furious and dragged me to the girl and her mom. She explained to the mother what happened and the girl reluctantly shook my hand. As I got older I was able to handle acts of racism much more mature and I handle them much better. I still get mad and if necessary I will speak and stick up for myself but I do not “try to catch bees with vinegar”. I know that they just don’t understand and they are struggling with personal internal problems. How can get mad at them when they aren’t at the level I am at. I have hope though one day they will get there.

Watching the video on the black and white dolls was a lot to take in. It was so sad to see the children selecting the white dolls as beautiful and the dark dolls as ugly. As I watched the video a very small amount of black children even choose the black doll but absolutely none of the white children picked the black dolls. All I could wonder was, why? What is it about beautiful brown skin that so many people find unattractive? I think many people view black skin as dirty and ugly, I also believe this idea is set in many generations. I don’t think this idea is set in individuals minds purposefully but I do think It is derived from an accumulation of assumptions that do not benefit black people in any way. People think that white skin is pettier than brown, that blond hair is better than dark, that straight hair is better than curly or kinky and, the list goes on. When were those the qualifications of beauty? Some of the most beautiful people I know are of brown skin and to me that only enhances their beauty. Another part of the video that I connected with was when the girl said that African American people don’t really have a set in stone idea of where they come from. There are so many different people and cultures in Africa and we are deprived of the knowledge of where were from. Africans where striped from their homeland without a care in the world. Because of this we either cannot or it is difficult to distinctly trace your roots. It wasn’t until this class did I really find and extreme yearn to know about my heritage and what I was made of. I would like to know of all the different blood that runs through me. It hurts that I won’t ever know exactly where in Africa that my ancestors were from but I’m going to try to get as close as I can. Being that I am African American I know the pressures black woman have to be beautiful. When I was younger my darker skinned sister was ashamed of her skin tone. She hated playing outside with us because she didn’t want to get darker. She was embarrassed by her skin but to she was always beautiful to me. She didn’t see that, and boys loved the lighter skinned girls. She has grown to love her skin and she accepted everything she has been given. What I take from this video as that all black woman are pretty and there is no such thing as good hair. If you are African American you should be proud of what you are made of and where skin as a badge of honor.

Of course when we learn about slavery in high school it is terrible but, it is also somewhat watered down and less vulgar, not giving slavery its deserved justice. We hear how the slaves were beaten and how the white people did not look at them as human but, we didn’t see it. The video displayed graphic images of the horrible crimes done by white people. The images of the children and woman with their arms cut off. All I could think of watching this was, how? How could people be that evil, how numb and detached from your emotions could you be to perform acts such as those? The video was so sad yet I couldn’t stop watching it, I had to finish it. I feel as though everyone needs to see it, reason, because I know that everyone learns about it in school but we forget about after we graduate from sixth grade history we go on with our lives and forget about it ever existing. I know that I am definitely guilty of this. I am not saying that we need to keep it constant in our minds at all times but I am saying that we need to recognize it more often. When watching the scene about the little boy who was hung by a chain, castrated, fingers cut off, and burnt alive I couldn’t even fathom his pain. I know this sounds bad but being African American and watching this video I began to hate white people. After watching the video, the next day on the bus I couldn’t help but stare at every white person that walked by. I kept thinking about what they had done to all those people and how evil I had concluded all of them were. I was mad at myself for being so excepting of them all my life and how slavery was not that long ago. Then I realized that I couldn’t blame all of the white people for their own race back then. They are not the ones who killed all those people, and they shouldn’t be held accountable. I have many good white friends that I love and they don’t look at black people that way. I am happy also to think of the great accomplishments African Americans have done and the greatest so far is our African American president! We have come a long way and there is so much more progress to be made but there is also so much hope for us too. When I was younger and I went to an all-white school I was the only black girl and I was embarrassed when we had to learn about African-American history. I have grown out of that and I am so proud to be black, it is truly an honor.

It was sad to see Tammy’s living conditions and everyday struggles. It really crushed me when her son talked about how he tried to hide his real image in front of his friends. It touched me when he showed all the awards he had, it seems like he has so much potential to be Harvard material but the circumstances of his upbringing and the schooling he is receiving plays are factors of what is holding him back. To know that he wants better for himself and cannot achieve that goal saddens me. I feel compassion for the mother as well; she has to walk ten and a half miles every day to work at a Burger King. I can only imagine what she goes through day in and day out trying to support her family but, feels like she is getting nowhere. She has come from a family of 22 siblings and her dad taught her that she has to work hard for what she wants in life. And even though she may not be rich, she knows that her father would be proud of her because she is at least trying her hardest. When it comes to poor white people, I am not going to lie I usually associate African-Americans to living in poverty and kind of forgot white people. When you hear of welfare or poor people on the media they generally show black people leading many to be programed to think black people to poverty. Either way when I saw Tammy’s story I felt sympathy, it was not about her being white. No matter what race you are, if you are living in those kinds of circumstances or see someone living like that, you have to be heartless not to feel compassion for her. When it comes to helping, skin color is not going to make me want to help less. We are all human beings and weather she was black or white I would want to help. It does seem like those of the same race are harsher to one another when it comes to this subject. I feel that this is because people of the same race feel a connection to each other and do not like the negative attention associated with them. People feel like that they are somehow connected to what is going on within their race. Just from my experience I have always know African Americans that are doing well for themselves to seem to shove it in others faces of their kind. I don’t know why this is but in my opinion it definitely is true. I feel that as just a human in general we are all obligated to help each other no matter what the race. I know many probably do not agree with me but if only we lived in a perfect world.