Today’s
society is full of inequalities. Influential factors such as race, social
class, and gender are all randomly predetermined by to whom (genetics) and
where one is born. Yet society uses these relatively benign labels in
increasingly harmful ways, discriminating against “outsiders” at every turn. These
“outsiders” are defined differently depending on who the “in-group” is, ensuring
that nearly everyone belongs to a marginalized at some point in their lives. Everyone
hates belonging to such a group yet feels no qualms about mistreating an “outsider”
at a different point in their life. How come society is set up in such a detrimental
way, harming the ones who often need it the most? In class we recently
discussed what our core values are when it comes to philanthropy and combating
this pervasively inequal and harmful societal structure is at the top of my
list.
In 11th grade AP Literature and Composition, I had the chance to read Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption—a book so profound that it has been turned into a movie. This book conveys Stevenson’s experiences as a lawyer for those who need help the most: the poor, wrongly condemned, female, and young victims of America’s justice system. He founded the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to help these marginalized groups—especially when they are found on death row despite their innocence (https://eji.org/about/). For example, in the book Stevenson mentions that children of 13 were being given death sentences—since life in prison is no true way to live. He took the issue all the way to the Supreme Court, eliminating this from being a possibility for all minors—regardless if they were facing homicide or non-homicide charges. EJI also works with communities and defendants who have been victims of racism and poverty, even working retroactively to ensure no one forgets the horrific events which killed plenty of non-Caucasians, like lynching. Furthermore, the nonprofit publishes educational materials to aid in the reformation of our criminal justice system so, hopefully, one day the goals of the organization will become obsolete.
I hope to someday combat inequality through my philanthropic work as effectively as Bryan Stevenson has, even if his quest is far from completed. Although criminal justice reform is very important to me, I will be focusing my attentions on other disproportionally treated groups—specifically for those marginalized because of their gender and/or sexual identity. According to the Human Rights Campaign, of the over 10,000 LGBT teens surveyed 4 in 10 live in a community which does not accept them (https://www.hrc.org/youth-report/view-and-share-statistics). This leads to worsening mental health conditions, explaining why 24% of suicides committed by 12-14-year-olds are done by those identifying as LGBTQ (https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/one-four-pre-teen-suicides-may-be-lgbtq-youth-n974481). Is this the way things are always going to be, or can something be done? I want to work to increase LGBTQ+ education, especially at the middle school level, because knowledge increases acceptance. Additionally, organizations like the Trevor Project provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens to talk and figure out their identities with like-minded and -identifying individuals. I want to work to provide more physical safe spaces for teens, since a majority of LGBTQ+ spaces are bars. I know that many LGBTQ+ activists across different platforms, but specifically YouTube, have lamented the lack of such a space in their youth. I feel the best way I can contribute to this cause I care so much about is to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens (which I will of course fundraise for), and then focus on education. After all, one must understand the one who they are accepting otherwise they are still likely to marginalize them, even if it is inadvertently.
Sabrina Reba
In 11th grade AP Literature and Composition, I had the chance to read Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption—a book so profound that it has been turned into a movie. This book conveys Stevenson’s experiences as a lawyer for those who need help the most: the poor, wrongly condemned, female, and young victims of America’s justice system. He founded the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to help these marginalized groups—especially when they are found on death row despite their innocence (https://eji.org/about/). For example, in the book Stevenson mentions that children of 13 were being given death sentences—since life in prison is no true way to live. He took the issue all the way to the Supreme Court, eliminating this from being a possibility for all minors—regardless if they were facing homicide or non-homicide charges. EJI also works with communities and defendants who have been victims of racism and poverty, even working retroactively to ensure no one forgets the horrific events which killed plenty of non-Caucasians, like lynching. Furthermore, the nonprofit publishes educational materials to aid in the reformation of our criminal justice system so, hopefully, one day the goals of the organization will become obsolete.
I hope to someday combat inequality through my philanthropic work as effectively as Bryan Stevenson has, even if his quest is far from completed. Although criminal justice reform is very important to me, I will be focusing my attentions on other disproportionally treated groups—specifically for those marginalized because of their gender and/or sexual identity. According to the Human Rights Campaign, of the over 10,000 LGBT teens surveyed 4 in 10 live in a community which does not accept them (https://www.hrc.org/youth-report/view-and-share-statistics). This leads to worsening mental health conditions, explaining why 24% of suicides committed by 12-14-year-olds are done by those identifying as LGBTQ (https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/one-four-pre-teen-suicides-may-be-lgbtq-youth-n974481). Is this the way things are always going to be, or can something be done? I want to work to increase LGBTQ+ education, especially at the middle school level, because knowledge increases acceptance. Additionally, organizations like the Trevor Project provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens to talk and figure out their identities with like-minded and -identifying individuals. I want to work to provide more physical safe spaces for teens, since a majority of LGBTQ+ spaces are bars. I know that many LGBTQ+ activists across different platforms, but specifically YouTube, have lamented the lack of such a space in their youth. I feel the best way I can contribute to this cause I care so much about is to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ teens (which I will of course fundraise for), and then focus on education. After all, one must understand the one who they are accepting otherwise they are still likely to marginalize them, even if it is inadvertently.
Sabrina Reba
It truly is unfortunate that such inequality is still present in today's society. Racial background, sex, religion, sexual orientation, culture, and social class are aspects out of one's control and cannot be chosen. Additionally, these aspects are what enrich us as human beings and give us individuality, and thus, without a doubt, I believe that individuality should be cherished and nurtured, not used against oneself to discriminate or marginalize certain groups. I also agree that society has been set up in such an unfairly ironic way where people are quick to ostracize others and jump to judgements, yet simultaneously hate feeling judged and constantly worry and seek the validation of others.
ReplyDeleteOne of my core values was also to establish equality within the community by overlooking the cultural background on an individual, because discriminating, especially based on things people aren't able to change, leaves a lasting negative impression on the victim and undermines them in an unbelievably derogatory manner. Stevenson's novel also portrays discrimination in many different angles, and one that stood out to me was the word "female". While I am not shocked, it still never fails to disappoint me when I am constantly made aware of the ever-lasting fight women endure to this day to achieve treatment equal to. This can be evidently seen in the still-present wage gap between men and women in the work field, where in 2018, a women earned $0.81 for every dollar than a man earned (https://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/). AAUW states that "[n]o matter how you analyze it, the gender pay gap is real, persistent, and harmful to women's economic security" (https://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/). Discrimination persists in many forms, against a plethora of individuals and groups, and every act which fights for equality, especially through philanthropic works, is imperative to combat it.
Thus, I find it extremely admirable that you are focusing on yet another group known to be unfairly ostracized and discriminated against and working to fight for their equality, which is the LGBTQ+ community. Although there has been tremendous progress in raising awareness about this community through the advancement of social media like Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook, where many young influencers, such as Tyler Oakley and Ingrid Nilsen, are able to talk freely about LGBTQ+ matters and open up about their experiences. In addition, there are also many icons in our society today who are part of this community as well, such as Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Michael Kors, Caitlyn Jenner, and so forth; however, there is still a situation every now and then where some stigma will arise surrounding LGBTQ+ members and their rights. Personally, I had a close friend in high school who was part of this community and unfortunately, the lack of education and awareness in our school about gender/sexual identity caused students to marginalize my friend and demean him, whether it be choosing him last to work with for school projects or team captains never picking him during gym class; it was a situation very unfair yet so very hopeless at the same time due to the massive lack of knowledge within our school.
I could not agree more with your statement that "knowledge increases acceptance". I am certain that if more people were aware about LGBTQ+ rights and the community, then there would be more willing to understand and see in a new perspective, and realize that in the end, everyone is a human being with equal rights and no one should be marginalized into groups or hurtful labels. Hopefully, through working at early education levels and teaming up with organizations like the Trevor Project, people will become more aware about these matters and be more accepting, which is definitely the first and most important step to achieving equality.
Hi Sabrina, awesome post! Your discussion covers two extremely relevant topics that I also plan to address with my work in the future. Your point about a need for increased gender and sexuality education is extremely valid. The “otherness” of the LGBTQ+ community needs to be removed in order for society’s views to change and become more accepting of all sexualities and gender identities. The work that the Trevor project is doing is admirable and is mirrored by many local organizations; there's an LGBTQ+ community center near my hometown that performs similar services.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you brought up the prevalence of suicide in the LGBTQ+ community and the Trevor project’s work to reduce it. I am always shocked and saddened when I hear the statistics about it, especially regarding members of the trans community. Philanthropies and community centers are helpful in addressing some of the issues facing LGBTQ+ youth. But, do you think the government should have a role in addressing problems like the high rate of suicide among this population?
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 10 and 34 according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and “Medically serious attempts at suicide are 4x more likely among LGBTQ youth than other young people” according to SAVE. Can philanthropy reduce the rate of suicide for LGBTQ+ youth, or does the government need to step in in order for meaningful change to occur?
For reference:
NIMH - https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml
SAVE - https://save.org/about-suicide/suicide-facts/
Hi Sabrina, you raise an interesting point. People are extremely quick to judge and misplace others, but when they are marginalized themselves, the role of a victim is taken up. I also read Just Mercy, and I loved the book. Stevenson’s work is so inspiring as he exposes the true horrors and injustice of criminal justice. The stories of how prisoners are treated are extremely heartbreaking, especially those who were wrongly convicted. I admire your drive and determination to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Teenagers in general are more prone to depression, and other mental health concerns so I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to be degraded by others when you are trying to figure out who you are. Something that comes to mind though is that there is still marginalization within marginalized groups. I completely agree that there needs to be a safe space for teens in the LGBTQ+ community to talk, but can it be a guaranteed safe space for everyone? Ideally, there would be people of all backgrounds on this platform to diversify this community. But racism and discrimination can still exist within these types of settings. Is there a way to ensure that everyone feels welcome?
ReplyDeleteSkylar Lai