Racism lives everywhere and no one can escape it. No matter how hard people try, it seems unlikely that racism will disappear any time soon. But even though racism might not be eradicated, there might be a chance it can decrease. To do that, there needs to be more experiences and education for the ignorant.
Ignorance might be one of the hardest things to break. Think of it as a bubble. But not just any delicate bubble, but a small and tough bubble that holds little to no knowledge about something and someone lives in it. No matter how hard others poke it, the bubble never seems to pop. Being ignorant means lacking knowledge or awareness of something, so there needs to be more education in order to make that person’s bubble change and increase their knowledge. For example, in school, there should be more coverage on subjects including a more comprehensive perspective of the foundation of America, like the treatment of Indigenous people, Black history, the many cultures of the world, and so much more. When educating others, they tend to sugar-coat or straight-up lie about different parts of history like slavery; according to The Washington Post. Everyone should be educated correctly and truthfully. Subjects like culture need to be covered more to stop situations, like the controversial action of cultural appropriation. Being educated on these types of topics could lead to less ignorance since some generally don’t know the pain their words and actions can cause. According to the APA, teaching these lessons early would be the best option since children can be capable of acknowledging race.
Although some people remain unaware that they live in a tiny bubble, there might be others that acknowledge their ignorance, and don’t want an upgrade; that should not be the case. In order to prevent this, people need to be vocal and not ignore it. Point out ignorant statements immediately. When doing that, make sure to state the facts and be respectful. Aggressive rebuttals will make no progress whatsoever and would be a waste of time and energy. Another critical factor to consider would be to not step over boundaries. People tend to make the mistake of speaking over a community they don’t belong to. In reality, they will never know the hardships of that community. Keep that in mind to not be problematic. Just speaking up and not being silent can make a difference. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.”
Even though ignorance happens to be in racism tremendously, it also occurs in communities like LGBTQ+, the mentally ill, etc. Many have a hard time understanding things that don’t include them, which comes naturally. But also can’t be an excuse for others’ behavior. Oftentimes, ignorance gets out of hand, and for that not to happen, education comes into play. Some may be willing to be educated while many others become completely resistant to it, eventually learning the hard way by facing the harsh reality when least expected.
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