Why I love Sociology by Fatou

Why I love Sociology by Fatou - August 2022 Scholarship Essay

Books were always my sanctuary from the crude and harsh nature of the Bronx. Growing up poor with my African immigrant parents working hard for necessities, reading books from the library was my favorite pastime. I had a good eye for seeing patterns and recognizing allusions. It became a sort of habit for me to look beyond surface level to question the reliability of the author and consider context, whether historical or dystopian. I read with an avidity, in awe of how reading holistically could completely clarify the connotations of whatever I was reading.

But it wasn’t until tenth grade in AP European History that I realized the limitations of the narratives I was learning. There was something about learning history that made the present intelligible. I became particularly interested in the doctrine and psychology of power. After a particularly grueling unit of imperialism I wondered: do humans subconsciously desire power and seek it through ownership of people? In particular, I wanted to study this sense of entitlement and superiority as it pertained to slavery. My curriculum did not delve enough into the social justifcations of slavery and its persistance into the subsequent centuries. Through my own research and discovery at the Metropolitan Museum, I stumbled upon Herbert Spencer's Theory of Social Darwinism. To my horror, I learned that famous thinkers, anthropologists and scientists perupated the pseudoscience of white supremacy— which led to everything from eugenics, the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Race theory, and Rudyard Kipling's infamous poem. I learned how these philosophies still exist in the twenty-first century, and most importantly, I learned how they translate into implicit bias, the most subtle yet most pervasive form of racism today.

The first time I experienced implicit bias, I had straightened my hair and wore it a bun. My mentor told me it looked much more respectful than my other hairstyles. I said nothing, afraid of embodying the trope of an angry black woman. My mother, an utmost optimist, chalked it up to ignorance. But I was unwilling to accept this treatment. I decided to use my curiosity to educate myself and others on the foundations of racism and its effects on communities of color . As I learned more, I realized it is not enough to pass anti-racist legislation. In order to move past racism, we have to eliminate subconscious social biases.

This past spring, I took another step outside my comfort zone. When I had read enough to feel confident in my knowledge of covert racism, I joined with friends and lobbied our school administration to start a Black Student Union. At first, my school refused. But we persisted, and I took the role of BSU president.

I researched other BSUs to map out our agenda. I wanted to make a club that was truly student-led. My first initiative was to create an Implicit Bias and Restorative Justice Workshop for students of color and allies in my school. At the workshop, I opened up about my own experience, and gave examples of implicit bias in everyday life. My audience was shocked by how habituated their biases were, like judging a black person for speaking African American Vernacular English, an ethnolect originating from West Africa. A fact not well known. Leading the workshop was raw and undoubtedly at times very emotional, as my peers took accountability for their role in perpetuating stereotypes. I educated them on the importance of thinking and reading holistically, instead of believing myths conditioned since birth. I pushed them to realize how these biases are tools used in the division and marginalization of an entire race.

Leading the workshop was the proudest moment of my life and it was all made possible by my refusal to remain complacent. I was no longer the girl who read books in her room for entertainment, I am an educator and an activist who has a purposeful major to pursue in college.

At Cornell this year, I want to study how cultural and religious environments influence societal behaviors and cause conditioned biases. Moreover, I want to study the ways these societal behaviors led to the controlling, excluding, and exploiting of marginalized groups and the economic benefits reaped by conquerors. Understanding the nuances of culture and its implications on race, ethnicity, gender, and social class is something I intend to explore at Cornell’s College of Arts and Science.

Cornell’s interdisciplinary approach allows for studying the roots of societies. I hope to gain a holistic understanding of societies and cultures beyond what I have read in textbooks. I want to take classes with professors like Mary Olson, who seamlessly works within the realms of Sociology and Anthropology. Olson teaches many dimensional courses like “Race and Ethnic Relations,” “Religion, Spirituality, and Community,” and “Sociology of the Environment.” This multi-disciplinary knowledge speaks volumes to the caliber of professors at Cornell. I am excited to learn from such talented professors.

I am unwavering in my conviction that the study of societies and paradigms will make for a more socially conscious and equitable world.. I want to study other cultures beyond my own West African heritage, and gain a unique outlook influenced by a myriad of lenses the depth and breadth, and continue to run workshops, learn sociology statistics, and educate.