Video Diaries
Below are the video diaries of some of our group members and our friends. The speakers describe their experiences with prejudice; they also suggest what could have been done to avoid those instances.
Anonymous 1
"You know. We're immigrants. We have to prove that we deserve to be here and one of those ways is to live up to the expectation that our people are hard workers"
Anonymous 2
"I am a graduate student at a predominantly White institution located within a predominantly White neighborhood. With the tragic events I just described that took place within our country this year, these are all the things I have to consider before I leave my house each day. "
Abbas
"There is nothing good at all about disenfranchising people based on false beliefs, based on lies, based on misconceptions about the person."
Ashleigh
"Lesbians are just like any other human being...just as [heterosexual] girls are not attracted to every single male, girls who also like girls are not attracted to every single girl."
Ashley
"Not everyone has been educated on diverse issues, so you have to be patient with them and not get frustrated, because at the end of the day, it might not help."
Bri
"One way we can combat this problem [of benevolent prejudice] is for people to change their mindset about those with disabilities; not looking at them as people with disadvantages, but as people with differences."
Brittany
"I [want] people to treat me normally... don't assume I need your help, don't assume I can't do things on my own, don't assume I am not intelligent..."
Daniel
"[Growing up] I didn't notice some of the stuff my parents more readily noticed."
Erin
"[I personally] experienced prejudice because of specific gender roles that I, as a female, [am expected to] follow."
Furo
"A lot of times when people have prejudices, it comes from not being educated about that specific area. Instead of getting aggravated by their comments, I try to remain calm and just educate them more about the situation instead of turning it into a negative experience."
Gabe
"For me, it’s a part of my identity, and people saying that it's wrong makes me feel like who I am as a person is wrong."
Hannah
"Although my family members don't explicitly dislike people of different racial groups, they still believe certain stereotypes."
Ismail
"It's an easy thing to fall in to, to experience prejudice feelings or be prejudice against someone else; It's something that everyone's done."
Keenan
"I have been instantly stereotyped by other people for sure...that I love chitlins and that the NBA and NFL are all that I live for. And I don't even like sports."
Nicole
"We are all unique in how we experience life."
Robert
"I am greatly encouraged by recent events in this area socially and politically speaking. I never thought I'd live to see the day where we would all be free to live the lives we chose…"
Samantha
"I feel that if more people understand the different situations for sexual assault, they may be more open and less judging when their friends or loved ones have been in that situation."
Sara
"When we create hierarchies and perpetuate stereotypes within our own communities, we help uphold systems of discrimination that keep us marginalized. . .If you aren’t there for your siblings, then who will be?"
Stephen
"What I did to personally combat the prejudice in the situation was continue to be polite because getting belligerent would have only made matters worse by confirming to the other person that they had a reason to have negative feelings towards me"
Teal
"This is the story about a girl who tries so desperately to find belonging in the LGBT community, but never seems to find her place."
Eric
"I’ve been thinking a lot recently, what really is authenticity? Is it me telling you right now that I am gay? Or is it something more abstract. I ask because it comes up all the time when talking about coming out."
