In 1993, a young black man, Stephen Lawrence, was stabbed to death on a London street by a group of white youths. Stephen was waiting to catch a bus home and was targeted by racists who killed him simply because of the colour of his skin.
Sixteen years later we could ask, what has changed? Racist attitudes still pervade society even though racism is against the law in countries such as the UK. However, today’s teenagers have a golden opportunity to help stop this and build a fairer society for tomorrow.
Racism is a kind of prejudice and its roots can be complex. Some people are prejudiced against others because they or their family come from a different country, because they have a different way of life or just because they have a different skin colour.
Racism often involves making fun of people, turning them into ‘outsiders’ and bullying them. To the perpetrators this may seem like harmless fun, but for the victim it is no joke when they have to suffer such ignominious attention.
Sometimes people are beaten up or even killed in racist attacks. I think that everyone has the right to be treated fairly and equally and that no one should have to suffer from prejudice. But each year, over 3000 cases of racist attacks are tried in law courts in the UK.
People who are prejudiced often learn their attitudes from others. They may hear other people making racist comments at school, in the street or even on television. Or perhaps a member of their family has racist views. It is very easy for them to believe and repeat what these people say without questioning how the victims of racism are affected by such views.
Prejudiced people often take a very one-sided view. They may make stereotypical comments. However, even after just a cursory consideration on the subject it is very easy to see these comments are untrue. A person’s intelligence and character are not pre-determined by their race or their appearance.
Sufferers of racism can feel cut off from other people. Teenage victims may find it hard to concentrate at school and their work may suffer. If they start missing school they can easily become more isolated from the people they used to trust and this isolation can then make matters worse.
Sometimes, racism can get out of hand. Fights can break out and people can be seriously hurt or even killed. Often teenagers are either the cause or the recipients of racist abuse but in reality racism and prejudice come in many forms and are problems for society to deal with as a whole. For example, some people suffer from racial discrimination at work. They may not be offered a job in the first place, or they may not be given the chance of a better job even when they have earned it.
Racism and prejudice are not new problems. Throughout history, some groups of people have treated others cruelly just because they were different from them. One of the worst examples of racism was slavery. Slavery began thousands of years ago. Between 1600 and 1800 over 11 million people were forced to leave Africa and sent to work as slaves in the Americas and West Indies.
Long after slavery ended, people were still prejudiced against black people. One person who stood up for the rights of black people was Martin Luther King, a black church minister.
In 1963 he made an inspiring speech in which he said ‘I have a dream that one day little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers’. The next year the US government passed new laws that made it illegal to treat people differently because of their colour or race. Sadly, in 1968 Martin Luther King was shot dead by a racist killer.
As today’s teenagers we need to think carefully about the sort of society we want in the future. We can all make a difference to the way other people are treated. If people are being racist we can point it out to them and we may be able to help friends stand up to racist bullies. Without racial prejudice in their lives, people can enjoy being different and have a lot more fun together.
Teenagers can help ensure that the racist attitudes of the past are not continued. I’m sure you’d agree the spirits of Stephen Lawrence and Martin Luther King as well as millions of people living in the future would really thank us. Together we can make a difference.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Time to make a difference posted by Soph
Posted by Soph and Nanda at 08:47
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2 comments:
That read very much like a school essay paper. XD But you do bring up good points. I think that everyone should be treated equally.
The charity 'Raising Malawi' (PR firm) founded by Madonna, Michael Berg, and Monica Berg in '06', held fund raisers for over two years before finally getting registered as a non-profit. In other words, Madonna and the others were free to squander that funding any way they saw fit for those first two years. In fact, they still havn't accounted for the 3.7 million raised from a single event in early '08' (The grand opening of a Gucci flagship store in Manhattan.). She also pleaded with her fans worldwide for donations along the way. In the meantime, she toured the world to promote her latest CD and raked in another $400,000,000 gross in just over 12 months. To date, the basic financial info for 'Raising Malawi' still hasn't been posted on the website or anywhere else. The 'progress' page only tells of the collective works by over 20 seperate charities. Each of which have their own sources of funding and may have recieved some sort of promotion or support from 'Raising Malawi' in order to be considered 'partners'. But no indication is made how much of their funding came from 'Raising Malawi' or how much of their progress if any could be directly attributed to 'Raising Malawi'. The fans/donors have no clue how many millions of dollars were raised in that first two years, no clue how much Madonna herself chipped in, and no clue how the money was spent before they finally registered as a non-profit. No clue what fraction of funding or works listed on that 'progress' page could be directly attributed to 'Raising Malawi'. Nothing to go on but the vague and misleading word of Madonna. For example: She states in her latest promotional video that she will match any contributions made to her charity (PR firm) "dollar for dollar". However, there is a disclaimer posted on the website for 'Raising Malawi' that Madonna's total contribution will not exceed $100,000. Thats not per donation. Thats a maximum of $100,000 TOTAL. Less than a single days pay for Madonna. Also much less then she will surely rake in by promoting her own CDs, DVDs, books, and 'for profit' merchandise through this massive worldwide publicity stunt. So I called the office of 'Raising Malawi' in an attempt to verify some sort of efficient financial operation (310) 867-2881 or (888) 72-DONOR). These details are ALWAYS made available by legitimate charities. But not in this case. I got nothing but recorded messages and hangups. So I did some research on my own. 'Raising Malawi' still hasn't been given any kind of rating by ANY independent charity watchdog like Charitywatch.org. The vast overwhelming majority of 'celebrity' foundations never are. In general, they are inneficient and riddled with corruption. Like the promotion of CDs, world tours, commercial websites, entire lines of jewelry (not just the single piece from which proceeds are donated), and high end retail flagship stores. Its far less expensive to promote your image and product with a contribution to your own charity (PR firm) than it is to buy commercial airtime worldwide. This is why its become such a trend. Celebrity foundations are also notorious for squandering much of their funding on private jet rides and super high end accomodations for their celebrity figure heads. Its legal even for a nonprofit but not noble or efficient by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, non-profits are not actually required by law to be efficient. This is why the independent rating is so important. In general, 'celebrity' foundations never even get one. They are a twisted inefficient mutant of charity, self-promotion, exotic travel, marketing, and PR crap. Still, they compete for funding with more efficient legitimate charities. The celebrity figure heads often disregard the primary donors, co-founders, and managers, take personal credit for any collective work done, and seek maximum publicity shortly before or after the release of their own commercial projects. Its a sham. So if its not rated, then don't support it. Instead, support a top rated charity like any of those given high ratings at Charitywatch.org.
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