Essay

Vanessa Davis


When I was accepted into the High School for Environmental Studies, I never expected to see so much diversity. In fact, I didn’t even know it existed. The schools which I attended previously were in my community and the people that I encountered were usually Hispanic. New York is a very diverse state as a whole, but there are certain places were you might only find a particular group of people. However, when I entered high school, I encountered people from many different backgrounds, and this is how I learned about different races. I was able to interact with people and see the cultural differences.
When I met people that came from different backgrounds, I became more aware of the world in which I live. I realized how many different countries and languages there are. I began to see things from a different perspective because I was no longer in my small community. I was out in the real world, surrounded by strangers.
My experience with a different race is similar to the Richard Wright”s in The Ethics of Living Jim Crow. The story progresses from him being a child to him becoming an adult. When Wright has to work in order to sustain himself, he works with and for Caucasians, which was new to him because he was used to being around blacks, his own race. Unlike Richard Wright, I didn't face racism but I did become more aware of my surroundings and others just as he did. The Wright was accustomed to living and interacting only with his own race. "We lived in the very heart of the local black belt. There were black churches and black preachers; there were black schools and black teachers, black grocieries and black clerks. In fact, everything was solidly black that for a long time I didn’t t think of white folks. But this could not last forever" (pg12). Wright was surprised by the way Caucasians acted and the way in which they treated him. At first he didn’t really understand that he was considered inferior and that he had to be submissive in order to be able to maintain his job and to avoid being physically hurt. The more he experienced, the more he learned about himself and about others. He learned how to respond in a certain way in order to maintain his job.
When I entered my school, I learned to approach people that came from different backgrounds. They didn’t t seem racist and didn’t display the attitude that the Caucasian from The Ethics of Living Jim Crow did. However, I still didn’t know them. Before I entered the High School for Environmental Studies, I had never really come in contact with Asian kids. When I was in classes with them it was interesting talking to them. As I got to know them better, some shared personal experiences with me and I learned more about their family lives and the things which those specific families believed in and I saw how they were different then my family. Like Richard Wright I was often astonished by the things that I learned. I know that most parents have rules which their children have to follow but I was surprised that a couple of them had parents that were very strict, and that the way in which they spoke to their parents was different then the way I spoke to my parents. It seemed as if there was more distance and more standards that had to be followed when speaking to elders in general and elders included their parents. I respect my parents, but I speak to them like I would regularly speak to people with whom I’m close. In addition, I learned more about Thailand because I have a close friend that use to live there. She often taught me small words in her language. I also learned a lot about different religions, specifically from someone that was Muslim. There are many teenagers in my school who are religious and are very involved with their church. It's interesting to learn things about other people with whom you normally would not interact unless you’re in a particular setting.
People from similar races usually stay together because it is more comfortable to speak to someone who understands you completely, that understands your background, and with whom you may feel comfortable saying certain things because you know that you will be understood. However, we have to be prepared for the reality in which we live in. In order to understand others and their beliefs we have to communicate with them. The Richard Wright’s interaction with another race wasn’t positive, but he had to deal with real everyday issues like everyone else. He slowly learned his way around things. He found very small ways to make his situation a little bit better. Even though he wasn’t allowed to take out library books because of the color of his skin, he still found ways to educate himself and to maintain his dignity. My experience was similar to Richard Wright in that I had to step out in the real world and learn how to communicate with others. It was easier for me then it was for Richard Wright because the people that I spoke to responded in a friendly manner. They were new to the school and were having similar experiences as me. We were all together in school receiving the same education and at the same time learning about each other.
In The Ethics of Living Jim Crow, I saw how Richard Wright only understood the lessons his mother taught him about segregation and racism when he experienced it for himself. "I had learned my Jim Crow lessons so thoroughly that I kept the hotel job till I left Jackson for Memphis." (pg 27) When Wright worked in Memphis, he often felt shame and embarrassment. But in hindsight, he realized that he accomplished many things in a society that had and continued to discriminate against him in many ways. He had to overcome many obstacles, but every obstacle he overcame only made him stronger and more tolerant. He mentions how he had to exercise a great deal of ingenuity to stay out of trouble. He learned how to lie, steal and to do many other things in order to be able to survive of his life. Racism was something that Wright understood as he went through different stages in his life. When I applied to the school I am in now I didn't realize the change it was going to be and I didn’t really recognize the significance of that change in my life.