I find it amazing how so many years later we are still trying to battle the same problems that were you had written about in this speech. We were not able to take your advice and change the ways that we educate our society. We still have stereotypes about people and we still aren’t able to properly balance the fairness in life through skin color. Actions are taken because of one’s background. There are still people out there jumping to conclusions because of the shade of someone’s skin. There are still kids out there that have to live with the same burden that their ancestors lived with all those years back. In reality, we haven’t changed that much at all. Worst of all, opportunities are given and taken from kids because of something that is out of their control. Their social status plays a role in where you can get in life. It’s hard to see that people back then had such a big dream of seeing things change and today we haven’t changed a thing. We have been focusing on the wrong things in life, we have brought more violence into the picture and I know that it’s disappointing to see. Although, today people are starting to come together and work towards what they want. We are peacefully protesting and its working. Moving forward from today, even though it might take alot of time, we will progress to your dream Baldwin. The way we educate our children will be different.
Letter to James Baldwin
To James Baldwin,
Who would’ve thought a letter written many years ago would be as relevant as it was then as it is now. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to exercise the advice you gave us to properly educate students. To educate students so they’re able to make decisions on their own and take responsibility of their own choices. Unfortunately students that come from minority families instantly are behind all students as they are persecuted not by their actions but by their color of their skin. While we have progressed the line “You know – you know instinctively – that none of this is for you. You know this before you are told. And who is it for and who is paying for it? And why isn’t it for you” still hold truth. Yes many of us have opportunities and abilities to become successful but others still live in poverty due to the lack of opportunity given to our parents. Due to growing up in poverty or less affluent neighborhoods, some may see the higher class lifestyle as unattainable, something we can only one day dream of living. In 2021 we may be more progressive, not allowing such blatant acts of racism, microaggressions are still prominent are more likely in school and work forces. We know we are not defined by the words the aggressor speaks, “I had to realize when I was very young that I was none of those things I was told I was.” realizing one’s worth was not measured by the people around us but by one self has allowed to have words be taken back and used as a form of empowerment.
-Letter to Mr. Baldwin- (Jaydan Ortega)
Mr. Baldwin,
I do, first and foremost hope this letter finds you well. I’ve read your work on the topic what teachers affect for us in society and it really made a lasting impression for readers such as me alike. I would first start with how I find a few of your points, such as one following details of our lack of knowledge to our separate history affecting children growing up. I can call upon this from personally experience, as I wasn’t necessarily well versed in my own history and had no reason to be prideful in my own culture. That may just be the problem with more of the older generations today, as they grew up around when you published this, and as you said, they weren’t properly educated, especially in such education systems where strong bias was bred. As you’ve referenced, Man is indeed a social animal, and without the common consensus of an ideal, we’re left with what we fear the most, the unknown. The knowledge that was failed to be taught lead to a great portion of the generation to be misinformed and left clueless on the lives people lived and their history wasn’t shown either, so how can you understand someone you don’t knows story. Though the actions people over the course of time have endured is completely unjustified, the problems stem from each generations shortcomings of providing wealth in ideology to advance the coming children to prepare for advancement in living through diversity. Our history tells a story, not just of each of our cultures, but of the melting pot of who we became and are now molded together by, and if we don’t analyze how connected we truly are to each other, then we will be segregated as a community more than we are to this day. Though a lot has changed from when you wrote this, just as much stood the same, yet being televised more to bring awareness to such. Anyways, I’m sure you’re busy, so I will leave you to it. Take care!
-Jaydan Ortega
