When we visited the almost entirely black Hollandale
High School in rural Mississippi, we did an activity where the kids moved to a
different part of the room to say whether they agreed, disagree, or were ‘in
the middle’, in regards to various questions.
One of the questions was, "Do you have prejudices?" I moved to the middle. I have prejudices, it is undeniable, but I choose not to act on them, or I like to think so. Almost all of my peers traveling with me on the Civil Rights trip moved to the side where they agreed. Almost every single one of the students from Hollandale moved to the side where they disagreed. At first, I thought my friends were confused and didn't understand the question. How could they possibly all openly agree with that statement? Then, we were asked to example why we answered that way. The middle group was asked to answer first. One person described their rationale behind it as sometimes having prejudices, but trying to avoid it. I didn't speak.
One of the questions was, "Do you have prejudices?" I moved to the middle. I have prejudices, it is undeniable, but I choose not to act on them, or I like to think so. Almost all of my peers traveling with me on the Civil Rights trip moved to the side where they agreed. Almost every single one of the students from Hollandale moved to the side where they disagreed. At first, I thought my friends were confused and didn't understand the question. How could they possibly all openly agree with that statement? Then, we were asked to example why we answered that way. The middle group was asked to answer first. One person described their rationale behind it as sometimes having prejudices, but trying to avoid it. I didn't speak.
Then the yes group was asked. Three people spoke, all three of them white females. I cringed with every sentence. I looked over at some of the Hollandale students on the disagree side. A few were shaking their heads behind their friends, others stood silently. I was embarrassed. How could my friends who were so open-minded and friendly just say "yes." Every word seemed like an excuse. But I knew they were right, and I knew they were being honest. It made me sad. My friends who agreed weren't hateful; they were realistic. They had a full scope of what it meant to have prejudices. Having prejudices isn't just whites judging blacks, and acting on it. Prejudices are a natural process. A person gauges their environment for risks and makes assumptions and deductions to most easily stay aware of their environment and react to it. Prejudices aren't always hateful. Prejudices are assumptions. We live in Baltimore. We can admit we have prejudices because we know it's possible to coexist while being honest about that idea.
The ‘disagree’ side was asked to give their rationale. They said that each person deserved a chance to show who they were. The sadness of not being affirmed in that belief hurt them. I could feel it, and it hurt me.
To them, prejudice was the fact that all the white people around them saw them as less. They just wanted to be respected. They didn't want to believe they were prejudiced, and who knows, it is possible that all the prejudices against them caused them to truly have almost none themselves.
I think our brutal honesty didn't do anything for them. It just made them feel like less. Just another person telling them how things were. A place so filled with hate, the children can't admit their flaws without giving in to the hatred that single-handedly keeps them down. Welcome to the Deep South.
Nick Reed
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