The world has always been such a barbaric place. It is not the perfect world we expected it to be. There are numerous reasons why it isn’t perfect. It’s the people who live in it. There are people who are generous and loving to others; while there are greedy stingy people who don’t want to share it. I want to aim towards those greedy stingy people and show them how they can change for the better.
A good example of someone who didn’t give up even when they were told multiple times that others would not support their idea, was Mother Cabrini. She was a strong independent woman who had come from Rome to New York to build orphanages for immigrant children who had lost their families. But many rich white folks kept pushing them away from trying to make new buildings and didn’t want to donate a single penny to them. But Mother Cabrini never gave up and kept fighting for all those poor Italian orphans. She’s an inspiration to us till this very day to help out wherever we are needed.
People are taught to treat others how you would want to be treated. So if you’re being rude and racist to someone who doesn’t look like you, is that how you want them to treat you back or do you want to be respected? Try being in that person’s shoes, then you can see how when you feel like no one is on your side they become the expectation you see them as. Think of that person as if they were your best friend. You might be skeptical at first but when you treat someone with respect they will return the favor. If you’re still not convinced enough, why not hear some ways approximately over 90.8 million people of color were/are treated.
Mexican discrimination
About 100,000 Mexicans became part of the United States through wars, treaties and land acquisitions. These new American citizens faced widespread racial discrimination on their own soil, involving loss of property, low pay, racist violence and even lynching. A lot of families went through crises in employment and lack of food. Despite being Americans by birthright they were denied equal rights. There had been cases in Texas and elsewhere where, were white citizens arbitrarily shot Mexican-Americans without punishment on many occasions causing severe harm or possibly even death.
African Inequality
Most of the world discriminated against African immigrants and treated them unequally. Racial prejudice was felt in housing, employment, and social interaction in Europe and the Americas. Legal and policy constraints on rights and opportunities limited African mobility and economic advancement to lower-paying jobs and segregated communities. For example, in the United States, Jim Crow laws put up barriers to segregation, while in colonial Africa, such discriminatory policies limited African mobility and economic advancement. Systemically, there were barriers denying African immigrants equal treatments and opportunities because of their race and nationality.
Italian discrimination
In the United States, Italian discrimination was characterized by general prejudice and ill-treatment. This involved Italian immigrants being considered as either gangsters, terrorists or mafias by the media and popular culture. They experienced marginalization, job discrimination and limited housing and education opportunities. Such stereotypes were upheld with time through immigration quotas as well as legislations that targeted Southern and Eastern Europeans leading to a life of intolerance and marginality for Italian Americans throughout this period.
Those were just three examples of immigrants being characterized by how they looked. The list goes on from there but that is only a taste of how much more discrimination and hurt has been done by white people. Most people tell themselves, “There’s already someone else helping out immigrants, how much of a difference will it be if I help?” There is such a huge impact one person can make because they were able to encourage others to help out just like they are. I know it seems like an impossible task but it’s worth giving all your dedication and love to it because you’re making a difference for thousands of people already. And you never know, perhaps one day, all that hard labor will pay off.
Photo Credits: Adobe Stock Images
Noelia Carbajal-Fenwick- DMSF Class of 2028