African-American students learn more than chemistry and math

Racism has been an issue since the beginning of slavery. It’s the year 2008, you would think that racism doesn’t exist but unfortunately it still lingers around like a bad stench.
I guess I can say that I was a virgin to racism until my junior year here at Western. It was a Monday night around 11:30 pm and I had class the next morning and the Caucasian girl next door was talking and laughing loud. I called the front desk of my resident hall to ask someone to send an RA up to tell them to be quiet, after the RA came and left I heard the girl converse to her friend, “She’s just a black bitch.” When I heard those words my whole soul and being was penetrated. I felt this new pain I never felt before, and the tears rolled down my face. Not being able to breathe I called my friend to vent off my anger and frustration.
Never have I experienced feeling numerous feelings at the same time. After filing a police report and talking with the hall director, I received no apology from the girl and when asking the hall director to move the girl off the floor the hall director gave me the option of moving. I felt helpless and felt left stranded with people passing me unwilling to stop and help. The situation had both a negative and positive outcome for me. It was negative because it happened in the first place and I learned the hard way that the school had no procedures or punishment for racism, in the year 2008 I shouldn’t have to be faced with racism especially as an equal American citizen. In addition, the situation was positive because it was like I had a 30 minute course in Life Lessons 401 which prepared me for the real world, it strengthens me and encourages me to be the best African-American and the best Lauren-Ashley I can be. I want to show and exemplify to others that my people aren’t incompetent, that we are intelligent, beautiful and rich, not just with money but with values, traditions, and the ability to persevere through any situation put in front of us. Western has many lessons not included in the curriculum for students to learn, I just happened to end up taking Life Lessons 401.