The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

What memory do you have of an incident when you experienced bias, prejudice, and/or oppression, or witnessed someone else as the target of bias, prejudice, and/or oppression? Keep in mind that one can encounter such incidents in real contexts, including online environments, as well as in fictional ones, such as movies, books, television shows, and the like.

            One memory that I had of an incident where I witnessed prejudice of someone else being a target of it was when I was at the airport. I witnessed one of my classmates from Medical School being discriminated against. She was an Ethiopian who wore a head wrap and when we were going through she got stopped and pulled to the side. They pulled her to the side and after they pulled her over to the side they said that they were testing her for gun powder residue. This was not the first time it happened to her. She told us every time she goes through security she gets stopped.

In what way(s) did the specific bias, prejudice and/or oppression in that incident diminish equity?

            This specific incident diminished equity because all they saw was the fact that she had a wrap on her head. It wasn’t fair because they didn’t stop any of us and we all are considered to black that were together, but maybe they thought she was of some other ethnicity.

What feelings did this incident bring up for you?

            I felt bad for her because she didn’t deserve to be treated like terrorist. I hope that one day that all of this prejudice ends one day. I know that it will never end because of the world we live in and the people that are in it.            

What and/or who would have to change in order to turn this incident into an opportunity for greater equity?

            I believe that the people that are being taught and brought up to change their ways. No one is born prejudice, bias, or anything of that nature. They are taught those things from their parents, those who care for them, and/or people they grew up around. Not only that, they people who are being told to single out the people at the airport need to change too. If she was able to go through with no security going off then she should have been able to just continue with her day at the airport.