Not Comfortable in the Bubble

By Samantha Gibson / Winter 2021

There are a lot of things you got wrong, but it is not all your fault. I want you to know you did the best with what you had at the time. Your mother and mother's side of the family are very conservative, and you grew up surrounded by their beliefs. You know they are not racist, but they do not acknowledge the hardships that African Americans and minorities have to endure. Many things influenced your take on race-relations that weren't necessarily your fault. You grew up in an all-white neighborhood. You never traveled or saw "ghettoized" areas, so how would you have known about these issues and how deeply-rooted the racial problems are in this country (and the world)? I want to give you some insight into how you were raised and your surroundings so you can start to forgive yourself and continue to grow and become a better human being.

You need to realize how your surroundings were growing up and how little the history of racial discrimination was discussed. As I mentioned in the beginning, you were brought up in an all-white community. All the sports club sports you were in cost a lot of money. not to say that minorities did not have the money to spend on clubs’ sports, but most people in your soccer and softball league were white. The most exposure you had to different ethnicities was when you were a baby and played with your nanny's children, whom you were very fond of and liked very much. There were a handful of minority students at your schools throughout your life, and even less attended your high school. You went to a small private catholic high school and were surrounded by many affluent white conservatives. 

I want you to know that you knew something was wrong, and you took action; that is why you signed up for the Ethnic Studies class. You knew you were missing pieces to the puzzle, but you had no one to ask, and you did not know where to start. You have never been racist, but you did not acknowledge that they are constantly being discriminated against and the hardships they endure every day because of people that look like you. You were oblivious to what has been put in place by rich white men to suppress minorities and keep the wealth in their hands. They used propaganda to label minorities as less than, exploited their labor, and kept them in their place through systemic violence. You did not know the extent of their suppression and even though you could have taken steps earlier to try and learn about it, what is most important and what you need to understand is eventually, you did. Many people never take this step-in life. They are comfortable in their bubble, or they do not care about anyone but themselves and their family directly. This reason is partly because of our individualistic, capitalistic society. We are taught to make money and that anyone can do it if they have enough drive and perseverance. However, if we all take a step back and look at the bigger picture, this individualistic idea is a distorted ideology of society.

I think what you need to take from this letter is you have known the truth this whole time, that the separation in society is the source of evil. You recognized it, and you took action to challenge everything you have known. It is still a work in progress, and you will always have to keep your mind open. I say this because I am white and come from a middle-class family. I will never know what it is like to be discriminated against for the color of my skin or understand what it is like growing up poor and not having the same opportunities I have had growing up. However, I can take action to try and change the course of history. I can start by teaching my family what I have learned so far and maybe opening their eyes to "white privilege." I know a lot of people that do not acknowledge this divisive issue. I believe the more that white people can recognize how the system is in place for their advantage at others' cost, the more we can reach a more united country. I know many people will not care and do not want things to change because they like the power. However, I am an optimist, and I would like to believe there are more people out there like me that need the education to push them onto the right path.

From,

Samantha Gibson