Nelson Mandela Reflection Paper
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6 Pages
I went to this museum exhibit a couple weeks ago about segregation, racism, and discrimination. I bet you would have hated it. I saw thirty-five photos of horrible things that had happened throughout the years. Three of them stood out to me: (1) a young Black man hanging from a tree, (2) an insulting poster about biracial people, and (3) a board game dehumanizing Native Americans.
I came across a picture of a boy, someone not much younger than I am now, dead and hanging from a tree. The plaque below the picture read that Michael Donald, a young Black man, was attacked and hung from a tree by two KKK members who were angry about “a jury’s acquittal of Josephus Anderson, a Black man accused of murdering a White police officer” (THEM: Images of …show more content…
In the past few years there have been cases of violence against Whites by Blacks and it usually receives more attention than Whites treating Blacks horribly. 2015 changed that when videos went viral showing hundreds of cases of White cops using unnecessary force on and even killing unarmed Black people.
In cases like this, I think of the poster hanging on the wall above my bed. It is full of Nelson Mandela quotes, but the one that I love the most goes:
"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
I think this quote speaks for itself in saying how we are all the same and that we are not born with this inherent belief that one group is inferior or better than another. We are taught to think this way, and we can change those thoughts by choosing to love one another rather than hating each …show more content…
Children copy behaviors they see others doing, so playing a game directly hateful towards Native Americans can cause children to think that all Native Americans are savages and/or treat them as such. It also reminded me of how André swears and yells in front of his kids. That is something they will pick up on. Those kids are going to grow up thinking it is okay to yell at people and swear all the time. I think it is vital to always be aware of our actions in front of young children because they will copy
I came across a picture of a boy, someone not much younger than I am now, dead and hanging from a tree. The plaque below the picture read that Michael Donald, a young Black man, was attacked and hung from a tree by two KKK members who were angry about “a jury’s acquittal of Josephus Anderson, a Black man accused of murdering a White police officer” (THEM: Images of …show more content…
In the past few years there have been cases of violence against Whites by Blacks and it usually receives more attention than Whites treating Blacks horribly. 2015 changed that when videos went viral showing hundreds of cases of White cops using unnecessary force on and even killing unarmed Black people.
In cases like this, I think of the poster hanging on the wall above my bed. It is full of Nelson Mandela quotes, but the one that I love the most goes:
"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."
I think this quote speaks for itself in saying how we are all the same and that we are not born with this inherent belief that one group is inferior or better than another. We are taught to think this way, and we can change those thoughts by choosing to love one another rather than hating each …show more content…
Children copy behaviors they see others doing, so playing a game directly hateful towards Native Americans can cause children to think that all Native Americans are savages and/or treat them as such. It also reminded me of how André swears and yells in front of his kids. That is something they will pick up on. Those kids are going to grow up thinking it is okay to yell at people and swear all the time. I think it is vital to always be aware of our actions in front of young children because they will copy