I've always found that learning about the history of minorities in the United States requires self-study, as anything learned in class is usually cushioned in stories of liberation and success, completely ignores the times in which individuals were demeaned, not listened to, and experiences that have laid the foundation of issues of inequity and racism that we continue to grapple with today. It was not until college that I learned that founding fathers owned slaves and I had no idea that the Bracero program existed until my senior year of college when I took a class on the history of Mexico. A few years later I would learn that my grandfather was part of the Bracero program! This says much of what can be lost because those affected may not speak on it in order to forget because it's too painful, or because they know it's shameful, but it's a shame they're not ready to face. From environmental racism to unequal and plain cruel treatment in American medicine of BIPOC definitely continue to impact society today. As a minority, I do not completely trust the American medical system and this is because I have found that often times, doctors don't seem to trust me. Doctors often tell me I have anxiety, that nothing is wrong, but I know my body best - I'm the person that inhabits it. I have learned that to find a good doctor, someone that really listens to me, I usually have to spend much money on copays as I move from one doctor to the next until I find a doctor that listens to everything I have to say and if willing to order the tests that are needed to finally give me a diagnosis.
While everything I read and saw in this module was not surprising, it was disheartening and showed me that there is so much proper education needed for all. The miseducation of America needs to end.
