Diversify the World of Media

Jacquez Printup
jp583215@ohio.edu

We've heard time and time again from numerous people that "racism doesn't exist anymore." Or that "it is not that big of a deal." But the reality is that there is still racial tension amongst different parts of the world. Although, there has been progression in the world, there are still active steps that can be taken.

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Some areas of racism may be more apparent than others, but there is one place where concealed racism really thrives: the workplace. There are countless real-life stories that recount the experiences that several African-American men and women have all had to face head on while trying to exist in corporate America. In fact, I've even had conversations with some of these people that share about how they always have to be "on" when they are at work to avoid the possible consequences that could come from not doing so. There is an article that goes into detail providing examples that explain exactly what I'm talking about. This writer shares about how uncomfortable she feels when she steps into an elevator with her mainly white counterparts and can feel their eyes locked onto her as they stare her up and down. Or about how she feels pressure to make sure her hair is not too "ethnic" or in other words, natural, when she sits down at her desk. A prime example of this would be Jemele Hill who was suspended by ESPN after making suggestive tweets about President Donald Trump.

The fight for equality in the workplace is challenging, and the fight in the classroom for some African-American students is equally as hard. Adam Williams, a black engineering student at Purdue University shares about the struggles and hardships he has faced while being a minority student at a PWI (predominately white institution) and in a difficult major. Unfortunately, all of the feelings and emotions that Adam describes himself as having in some of these moments, a lot of other black students have felt the exact same way.

Mentioned in one the above articles, the writer talks about a scene from the fictional television show Scandal that used to air on ABC. In the scene, Olivia Pope played by Kerry Washington is having a conversation with her father who reminds her of a simple truth that himself, along with a lot of other black parents have shared with their children from a very young age: you have to be twice as good to get half.