I took this class during the Spring 2021 semester. It was a cool experience because I was part of the first group of people that was able to see what a minor in Race and Ethnic Studies would be like at Longwood University. This class taught me some very relevant ideas with everything that has been going on in the United States and the rest of the world throughout the past few years, especially last year and this year. It made me aware that I have so much more to learn about the history of minorities such as Black people and Latino/Latina people. I made myself be uncomfortable so that I could see that not everyone has the same privileges as me, a White woman. In fact, most people do not have those privileges. This class made me aware of the changes that need to be made in the ways that we live including how we treat the environment, why we put certain people in jail, and why there are only certain groups of people who appear the most on our television screens. We have to acknowledge White privilege and how others are not treated equally or with the equity they deserve. Equity is necessary for our world to flourish.
I was able to develop my reflection skills even more through a few reflection journals in this class. I was challenged to think about the material the reflection was about, whether a movie, article, or guest speaker, in a certain way. I was encouraged to ask questions and not be afraid to say what I think of the material. I did my best to do this and not shy away from any topics because I want to be able to understand all people as best as I possibly can. So, I followed the directions and asked hard questions when I felt they were necessary. This made me feel encouraged to say my thoughts about the topic we were were talking about in that class period. I was also able to say my thoughts because the professors encouraged us all to speak our minds, even if others were not going to agree with us. We had plenty of good conversations in the class and I left class filled with more of an understanding of the struggles minorities go through and how we can fix that so everyone has equity and equality. This class opened up my mind more than it already was and gives me hope for the future of this world we are living in right now.
Below are a couple of the reflection journals I discussed above: