Trying to Beat up the Devil

This has been a trying week for me. I am learning to not be so sensitive and how to forgive others. I have run into the same things that I witnessed Southern Virginia University but unlike last time, I was ready. Some students in two different classes have said very ignorant and flat-out stereotypical things regarding people of color. I do not think that they realized just how stereotypical they sounded but I am learning that not all people know any people of color and therefore based their opinions, about a particular race, on what they hear on the news, television shows, and what their parents may say. If I return to BYU-Idaho upon serving my mission, I hope to find a way to help this campus really learn what diversity and culture is. I mean the Culture Clubs do a good job at showing the campus that there is diversity but I have not really seen anyone show how diversity is good and how culture is important. People of color born in the United States is different from say Mexico, Africa, and Asia. I know that my culture is way different from Africa (we do have tribal dance or wear boubous) but we are also more than gangs, drugs, and prisoners. The people here tend to think that only people of color go to jail- I wonder if they know that only 15% of African Americans make up the jail population of drug dealers and addicts. I want them to know our struggles and our concerns. Why is it that only a few percentage of African Americans go to college? I think that it is because of people like the students in class that say that the only thing that African Americans are good for is crime! Well if you tell us that we will be nothing and do nothing with our life then nine times out of ten that is what will happen! I have spent most of my life having people telling me that I cannot and will not accomplish anything in my life. I have been told on numerous occasions that universities and colleges are for Caucasian people- there is no reason to go to college when you will not succeed. I have had people that I thought were my friends make fun of me because I was smart and they told me that being smart will get me no where in life- I will just end up on the street. I am just so tired of people beating up on African Americans and then expect us to do better. How can we if you keep pointing out the bad in us? I am very sure that African Americans are NOT the only ones who commit crimes and I KNOW for a fact that we are not the only ones that are members of gangs. I am also equally sure that there is more to us than what the media depicts of us.