The purpose of this project was to interview a person who has experienced segregation in their life. I interviewed Laura Mendoza, who is a family friend. I was very surprised when I found out she has faced segregation. The toughest part of this investigation was having to hear what she had to go through. It all made me mad. Even though I was mad I felt rewarded to hear what she went through and how I can help others not go through the same. I was proud of actually talking to someone who went through this difficult time in their life and see how that shaped her as a person.
This was the very first time I had ever heard the word “sarvodaya” and I am happy that I had the chance to learn more about it. Personally it means that I must always include everyone and everything into my life. I can never exclude people or things from my daily life and give major importance to one specific thing. During my interview Mrs. Mendoza quoted Paul Harris and although it was a very good quote there was something else she said that was impactful to me. She said “segregation is abuse “ and I will always carry those words with me. From my interview I have learned that segregation happens everywhere even at work. I always thought that once you get older people would grow up and treat everyone with respect and treat them equally. I was wrong about this and now I know that I might one day face this at work in the future. I have also learned that if this does happen to me I need to be strong and not let anyone else decide my future or give anyone the satisfaction of winning. The world is a scary place and I need to be strong at all times to be able to overcome the things I might face one day. I know now that even unintentionally I have excluded people in my life and I am now aware of it and will work harder to not do it again. This course introduced a new word into my life that has had a great impact in my present and in my future.
The person I am interviewing is Laura Mendoza.
How do you define segregation? What images & feelings come to you when you think of it?
A :I define segregation as unfair actions taken to people just because they are not the same as the majority of the people around them. The images that I get are mostly things that happened in the past for example the Holocaust and also the segregation with Black people. When I think of these occasions in history I am saddened for whoever had to go through these unjust experiences.
A: Yes, I have. I work in a upscale department store where most of the employees and customers are Caucasian and I am Hispanic. So from the beginning it was very hard for me to fit in. Employees and customers would give me looks like I did not belong there. Not only was I pushed aside from activities that everyone else was doing together but, when it came to asking questions related to work no one ever helped me. After that I decided to quit because I knew I deserved to be treated fairly.
What did you learn from this situation?
A: I have learned that there are still some racist people out in this world. I have also learned that if this ever happens to me again I will speak up. Now that I am older I wish I never would have quit the job I left. I know now that I gave them exactly what they wanted and that was to have the power over me. There is this great quote by Paul Harris that says “Segregation never brought anyone anything except trouble.”
What advice do you have for people who experience or witness segregation?
A:I would tell people to stay strong. Yes, I know there are still many racist people out in the world, but together we can out beat them. Like I said in the previous question I would have stayed and showed that I was stronger than their hate. I would never have given them the satisfaction i gave them before.
Did you ever feel like you wanted to treat someone that bad because you were so angry?
A: No. not at all. When you’re that hurt it’s hard to imagine that you could ever be the cause of putting someone else through that kind of emotional abuse. In reality segregation is abuse!
Did you ever cross paths with any of the people who treated you badly?
A: As a matter of fact yes I did. One of my ex coworkers actually came to apply at the company I work for now. She was applying for the department which I manage, I interviewed her and she was as surprised as I was that after 15 years we would meet again and in those circumstances. Although I had the power to simply dismiss her and not move her application any further into the hiring process, I proved to her and to myself that I am a great person and a great leader and I can let the past stay in the past.
No comments:
Post a Comment