Stop the Hate by Gary

Stop the Hate by Gary - February 2016 Scholarship Essay

“We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” - Martin Luther King Jr.

In eighth grade, I had to open a classroom door. Open, close, open, close... “Just open the door Crazy,” one of my peers arrogantly said. Crazy was my name, simply because of my apparent OCD. I was immune to the continual bullying, but I still hoped that one day someone would speak out as an upstander. No one ever did.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Thus, I have used my past experiences as a catalyst for change in my community. I discovered that it is my obligation to stand up for others, and I have made a commitment to instill a sense of belonging in everyone I come across. This commitment has brought me to who I am today, and who I will become.

After years of continual acceptance for others and good ambitions, an incident last year illustrates that in just the slightest ways, I can help bring the change I want to see.

"At least I'm not a faggot," he said. Most became silent. Others pretended they did not hear. I became enraged, feeling a scorching flame inside of me. I stood up and said, "He did not do anything wrong, and how would you feel if someone called you a derogatory name?" The bully was wide-eyed and unable to produce words, in disbelief that someone spoke against him.

His target was susceptible, one who was different, not conforming to normality. I saw this as valuable; diversity helps provide us with an array of perspectives. Despite, he was brought upon inadmissible discrimination, which is what’s in need of our attention. I began to ponder, why does no one else speak out? In college, I hope to analyze why people remain silent. Are they afraid? Do they worry about what people will think?

What many do not realize is a simple statement could help prevent such unbound malice. The silence of someone lays out their cowardice. However, I am a voice for the voiceless; an upstander, not a bystander. With my actions, I hope to inspire others to stop the hate and to have the courage to stand up for others, ultimately encouraging the world's ever-expanding diversity; it keeps Earth a fascinating place. After all, it only takes a small percentage of the population to foster a global change.

In addition to continuing my actions, in college I hope to address this issue by learning more about different cultures, beliefs and perspectives through meaningful connections, not solely through the classroom. Knowledge of a challenge is the first step for relevant change; if we are not exposed to the problems, how are we going to solve them? With my acquired knowledge in the future, I hope to unclothe a miscellany of methods to fix racism, discrimination and other malice pervading our convoluted world.

“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” - Martin Luther King Jr.

It would have been a blessing to eat dinner with Martin Luther King Jr. I could only envision what influential advice he could provide me with the help my mission to stop the hate. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal," he once said. Even in just the slightest ways, it is our obligation to help fulfill this dreams. We have come a long way from 1963, but we are still, unfortunately, far away from making this dream a widespread reality. We cannot allow the world to remain so nefarious toward the dissimilarities of others. If it is not our collective responsibility, then whose is it?