The Termination of Inequality Begins with the Discussion

I am an Indo-Caribbean female in a male dominated society. I currently attend Stuyvesant High School, where a large majority of its demographics consists of Asians. When filling out a form, I’m often forced to define myself as Asian, as my ancestors are from India. But how would that accurately define me as a Trinidadian woman? 

Attending a school where my peers are often confused about my cultural background has grown to become a bit overwhelming. I constantly feel the need to explain who I am, in order to avoid stereotypes around my academic ability in this rigorous environment. So although I am defined as Asian, and I am Hindu, I don't fit in with the Desi community within my school because my customs are vastly different. I am from the Caribbean, but I am not black. I am West-Indian, but I am not necessarily South Asian. So constantly, I feel as though I do not belong to any specific group. 

Now, I know I am not the only one within my educational career to have faced this incessant need to be better because of my ethnicity, but it has always prompted the question that society faces everyday: Why do we let our race define our ability to perform? I realize that my feelings may seem minute, and not as serious as those who suffer racial injustice everyday, but this need to define ourselves by our race has placed me into a sort of bubble. 

I do, however, believe that it is because of my experiences with race that has allowed me to be so open minded when it comes to ethnic and cultural differences. Everyone is raised with different beliefs, but when you realize that we are all just people working towards unity, it becomes quite easy to explore different perspectives, which is a key part of civic leadership.

To me, civic leadership can be defined as actively participating in expanding the knowledge of an issue, in order to prompt some sort of alteration within a community. In my opinion, as citizens of this nation, our community should not just be limited to a specific area, but more importantly, our society as a whole. However, in order to reach this large spectrum of change, it is important to really grasp the issue, and develop a strong, dependable solution. 

There are a significant number of issues that need to be addressed more accurately, including abortion control, affirmative action, poverty, inflation, military, etc. As of recent, there has been a dramatic increase in racially motivated crimes. This has a lot to do with documentation of these incidents, or rather the lack of. I am interested in developing a change to the system that our citizens put their faith in. 

As a result of police brutality and a massive fluctuation in Asian hate crimes, many innocents have had to face the cruelty of society. The fourteenth amendment guarantees the natural rights of an individual in regards to the State, but what about the people? My regard for criminal justice and civic engagement stems from the deprivation of one’s constitutional rights, solely on the basis of race. I’d like to be part of the change that allows our citizens, and the immigrants in which the country was built upon, to be able to feel safe regardless of their status in society. I am most excited to challenge myself, and my own beliefs on many different societal issues. I want to question ample things that I never thought myself to do.

I am eager to experience an environment where multiple perspectives are offered to identify issues within society and in which we discuss controversial solutions to them. I would like to meet with organizational groups and work with what they’ve started to alter, and contribute to this process. There are numerous obstacles that stump most of our government, state and nation wide. Being given the opportunity to brainstorm ways to change our society will be extremely rewarding, and I believe that it all starts with discussion. Engaging in debates surrounding these issues, and questioning what's already programmed into the brain, will be a very difficult task, but one with the most beneficial outcomes. 

Change doesn’t appear naturally, but actively practicing this task will allow for growth, which is what I am both excited and nervous about doing. As John Maxwell once said, “If we’re growing, we’re always going to be out of our comfort zone.”

Shyann Rampaul is a high school Senior from New York City.