Essay On Racism, Feminism, And LGBT Activism

Looking back at the person I was two years ago, it is honestly astounding how different my mindset and personal opinions were versus now. Growing up in a fairly conservative environment, I allowed what I was taught by my parents, church, and family to shape my personal thoughts, without ever stopping to think about what these opinions really meant and to what degree I valued them. I was never necessarily exposed to other perspectives and ways of thinking; nearly everyone around me held the same traditional, slightly narrow-minded, opinions, resulting in me growing up in somewhat of a bubble, without even realizing it. However, virtually all of these beliefs were challenged beginning my sophomore year in high school, primarily thanks to my English teacher, Mrs. Burns, who by the end of the school year, managed to nearly completely reverse my way of thinking, and shaped me into a far more open and progressive minded individual. …show more content…
The topics of race and racism were never something that was too talked about or brought to my attention growing up in a white family, in a predominantly white environment, so when I quickly learned that race was a prominent topic of discussion in Mrs. Burns’ classroom, at first I was not sure at all what to think. The same concept can be said for the other two subject matters. However, the more we discussed these subjects as a class, the more I realized that there was so much I did not know about these issues, and there was so much more involved than what I previously understood. Throughout the course of the year, my frame of mind on these issues shifted almost completely; by the end of the year I had a far better insight and awareness for these issues and ideas, allowing me to finally form my own opinions and beliefs surrounding