COLUMN: You can look but you can’t judge
I cannot help but feel that there are tons of people who continue to judge others based on their outside appearance.
As a young black woman on campus, I have received many comments that I do not appreciate.
Why do people think because I am a woman I cannot play sports?
When I go to the Student Activity Center to play basketball I get tons of looks. Then when I ask to play a game with the guys, they look at me as if I am joking.
Why do people think because I am black I like fried chicken with hot sauce?
A friend asked me the other day why all black people like fried chicken. I told her that I do not know what every black person likes because we all live different lives.
Why do people think because I am a freshman I cannot possibly be responsible, level-headed and involved with things on campus?
People are shocked when I tell them that I am involved with community service on campus, I write for Central Michigan Life and I have not been to one party.
Why do people judge?
I wish I could say it does not hurt to be labeled as a stereotypical young black woman, and I wish I could say that it is easy to brush the comments away and forget about them.
It does hurt and it is not easy to just forget about the comments.
Although it is 2011 and we have a black president, prejudice continues to be an issue.
Granted, as Americans, we have made much progress. We are more accepting and diverse than 48 years ago when Martin Luther King Jr. led his March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, but I worry that we have gotten comfortable with stereotyping others.
I highly doubt there was a study done to show that the majority of black people eat fried chicken or that the majority of freshman are irresponsible.
I guess it would be too much to ask that everybody just forget about the stereotypes and start to learn more about an individual before they judge them.
At the end of the day, we all live different lives and have different likes and dislikes.
When people judge me I feel it takes away from their ability to see me as an individual.
India Arie’s song ‘I am Not my Hair’ says it best: "I am not my hair, I am not my skin, I am not your expectation but I am a soul that lives within"
