Reflective Essay: Diversity In Tennessee

Improved Essays
Home is where the heart is. It doesn’t necessarily mean the home provides the best shelter for someone, nor the best experiences, and in my case, it definitely doesn’t. Home was in Hernando county Florida. When I lived there, I only got up to middle school and part of the way through eighth grade before my move to Tennessee. The difference between Tennessee in Florida isn 't just that everyone here would get beat to death for their blatant racism, but the fact that there is much less diversity in Tennessee. It 's quieter, less riled up, and with everything I 've gone through, I can speak that life here drags on much more than in Florida. Those years in middle school were likely the most definitive of my life, and hold the best stories with …show more content…
Before I could make it past the creaky doors, hardly clinging onto the hinges, someone had rushed past me, nearly knocking me down. I had to clutch to the mistreated door for mercy, watching this girl haul all the way down and into the courtyard before jumping onto someone’s back. They had landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs, an inhuman screech bellowing from her lips. The whole school seemed silent for a moment before a huge crowd surrounded the two, the macaws the school owned screeching along with us. “Fight, fight, fight!” The crowd roared, although the words were pointless. Couldn’t they see they already were? They were writhing on the ground, seeming as if they were in the midst of a seizure or a stroke. The fight continued for a straight five minutes, the school turning into a mosh pit with me in the front row. If I wasn’t careful, I would’ve been pushed in with the preteens biting and scratching at each other, momentarily turning into demonic house cats. Fur was flying, tails …show more content…
The green beans on his plastic spork waved around as he tried flinging them across the room, cursing under his breath each time it didn’t make the target. “Kobe- truth or dare?” It was an innocent question, but I had a good one this time. This was the first time he had the cheez-it party mix, and I knew what he could do with it. After all, I witnessed all sorts of things at school- and this was not one I could turn down. “Dare.” The answer had been expected, too. I took his bag, against his protests and whines, and smashed it beneath my hands, tossing it back over afterwards. “I dare you to make it a powder and then snort it. With the red straw. All of it.” I hadn’t expected him to oblige, but he had. The first line was set up on the glossy table, his nostrils slightly flared as he closed his eyes. His parents were already disappointed in him for licking the hand rail last week, so there was nothing to lose here. The second he had started to snort the mixture, his eyes scrunched up, but he didn’t stop until he finished. The whole table had fallen silent except for his hacking, tears welling up in his eyes before he gave a thumbs up to show he wasn’t dying. At least, not yet. Without another word, he had done another line- and another, letting out whimpers of pain every now and then. We were all astonished, wondering how in the world he had the willpower to go through such

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    : 13,444 - Reviews: 17 - Favs: 11 - Follows: 20 - Updated: Jun 6, 2014 - Published: Mar 28, 2014 - id: 10224173 + -     1. Chapter 12. Chapter 23. Chapter 34.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Migration To America

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many people characterize their home as safe, secure, or at least comforting. My home was a bit … different. After leaving their home in Nigeria, my parents had to jump from home to home constantly moving me and my family until they could learn how to properly settle in America. My parents were very caring and helpful and kept trying to move us to places where we would have a chance at success. When we finally settled their seemed to only be one logical thing to do... help other immigrants settle here!…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In the essay “Why Place Matters” Wilfred McClay and Ted McAllister argue that the loss of one's connection to a physical place results in the loss of individuality and one's public virtues. They fear that the importance of “place” seems to be fading and is now currently being replaced with a world that is deemed ‘placeless’ and thrives only on technology. They claim that place is an essential part for one to have a set of memories that build up a self identity. This self identity allows for a sense of responsibility that one has for their own community. They believe one cannot be apart of society without being a part of a place within that society.…

    • 1359 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Diversity In Texas

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The United States was founded upon the principle of democracy. In fact, the binding behind all aspects of American government is an important document known as the Constitution of the United States of America that states all policies and principles necessary in order to structure a democratic governmental system. Democracy can be summed up by one important phrase present in the United States Constitution: “We the people…” and when the people change, political structure and policy must adjust to meet the needs of an increasingly diversified population (“The Constitution of the United States” 3). One state which exemplifies a rapid diversifying of a population is the southern states of Texas. Texas has long since been a state known for its diversity,…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We got up from the dry grass, all the dampness gone from the unusually warm September weather. We walked over to where their was “Heavy Armor Fighting.” It sounded intense, and from the clash of metal and the cheers of the audience we knew it was. We looked over the short fence and saw five men, dressed in armor with axes and swords held tightly in their gauntlet-clad hands. They looked like they came out of a movie!…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Here I am, talking to you again. There is no point in talking about Pency Prep or the fact that I was in a mental institution because you already know all that crap. They told me lots of doctor bull, and said I had to grow up or whatever. To be honest, I didn’t want to grow up. In fact it was the last thing I ever wanted to do.…

    • 1305 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    It is important to understand our diverse America because not everybody is the same. Everybody that lives in America is similar and different. We all look different, but at a certain extent we are all the same. The citizens of America all have different DNA, which makes us special in our own way. When I was first introduced to a whole different aspect of color, my eyes were open to the thought that nobody on Earth looks the same.…

    • 242 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Diversity, what does it mean? As I go into my eleventh year at Jackson State University, I will observe the campus from a different perspective. This week, I will view the campus from through a diverse set of lenses.…

    • 198 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Diversity, what does it mean? As I go into my eleventh year at Jackson State University, I will observe the campus from a different perspective. For two days, I will view the campus from through a diverse set of lenses.…

    • 179 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    • I live here with my daughter, brother and Tavarez. • My brother has several friends who committed suicide over the summer. • They seem to have been put out by their families.…

    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    People have personal definitions of home. It could be where their loved ones are, where they grew up, where their heart is, or where their dog is. If one thing is certain about all these, it’s that home is where you feel a strong sense of belonging, security, and love. Finding all of these things in one place in your life can be a challenge for some, but everyone has some form of home. I have found my own definition in home.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Diversity at College Campus Many people see diversity and automatically think about race, but diversity goes beyond race. Diversity in college means more than just the skin color of a person, it means change, tolerance, culture, ethnicity, and gender, among other things. Therefore, diversity shapes as an individual. This country is blessed to have a great cultural diversity. For this reason it is beneficial to consider how institutions view their diverse student populations.…

    • 1505 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion is essential to providing support in today’s society; in order to provide care/ support that meet the needs of the citizens, management and staff need to be aware of what the terms are and how they are put into practice in the working environment.  Equality is about treating individuals according to their needs, it is about providing individuals with equal opportunity whether it is documents in different formats or ensuring access to buildings for those with a disability to ensure the opportunity.  Diversity can be described as ‘difference’ , it is about acknowledging that everyone is different and an individual’s characteristics are what make them unique, examples include: Age, ability, appearance,…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My middle school days were not the best; I encountered many instances of bigotry from students. I was teased endlessly and disrespected because of my diversity. Born and raised of West Indian Heritage, students made my life a living hell because I spoke with an accent. “Where are you from?” instantly began the conversation.…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    ADDRESSING DIVERSITY OF LEARNING IN CLASSROOM In today’s school, many different elements of diversity present themselves. These include race, learning styles, gender, ethnicity, religious beliefs. e.t.c In order to ensure that each student in the classroom is gaining the maximum benefit, teachers have to understand and treat each student as a unique individual.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays