After watching the videos on how multiple different minority groups have been (and continue to be) directly impacted by racism that is systematically ingrained in our country's creation, I found myself to be angry, disappointed, and shaken up. I hadn't known many of these events occurred, and was never taught these things in ANY of my history classes. Our history textbooks were written, reviewed, and published by WHITE authors. It is no surprise why I had not learned about many of these events in my 16 years of education. That is just one example of how our education system is flawed and is a symptom of the institutionalized racism that is so prevalent today. On another note, it allowed me to reflect on the shame my ancestors felt as Japanese Americans during that time period. As someone who has grown up as a Japanese American born and raised in Honolulu, HI (where Pearl Harbor happened), I have not experienced racial discrimination and I have not been shamed because of my race (*Disclaimer: I have not been racially discriminated against in Hawai'i, but I have been in Oregon). Here, I am considered the majority. I receive tremendous unearned privileges in this way. However, my Mom just shared a story with me about my Great Grandmother and Grandfather. They were alive during this time, and I just found out that their names were not always "Kay" and "Charles". Excuse me? You may ask-- how can you be so ignorant as to not know your own Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather's NAMES? Their original names were Japanese. They changed their names to "Kay" and "Charles" so that they would be considered more "American". Not only does this name change reject and distance themselves from the Japanese culture, but it also gives them a different identity. It pushes them in the direction of assimilating to the toxic culture of what it means to be an "American". These are only a couple take-aways that I had after going through this first module. I had no idea how racism in America has affected myself and my family, but it also made me realize that the dangerous effects of racism in the past can affect our lives TODAY. So, the next time someone tries to argue that "it happened so long ago, we are past ______", I can share my own personal stories in hopes that they can understand that we are NOT in a post-racial, post-slavery, post-segregated America, and that their ignorance to the issue of racism is not only contributing to the false promises of the "American Dream", but that it is insensitive and hurtful to the many minority groups who have been and are still enduring the harmful effects of racism in our country.
