Hate. It has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet. – Maya Angelou, Civil Rights Activist

The quote above is very true, so why do we still hate? In my last couple of blog posts I have worked to answer this question, and have come to understand how challenging of a task this is. There are so many interconnected pieces that make up the causes of our hate, and so I have tried to focus on one per post rather than tackle them all at once. Today, I am taking a deeper dive into the core of racist hate; fear.

My Essay

When I was 10 years old, I was terrified of the Ebola virus. I was scared to go to the store, share food with friends and even touch surfaces in my house because I thought I could somehow contract it. I took irrational measures such as distancing myself from friends, sanitizing my hands constantly and refusing to do “risky” activities like shopping all because of this fear. One day however I read an article on Ebola and realized how rare it actually was in North America. I then read another on how it spread, talked to my dad about my risks and watched the news for updates. It soon occurred to me through my connection with all of these texts that I really had nothing to be afraid of, and thus my fear waned and my irrational actions stopped.

Keeping this in mind, I have decided to write an essay connecting the fear found in our modern COVID-19 world to the fear found during the civil rights movement, using them both as examples of the damage that fear can cause. Through writing an essay, I hope that I have been able to outline the facts in a clear and comprehensive way so that others can connect to what I have written and manage their current fears as I did years before.

PGP

From my last blog post (which was written last week), not much has changed PGP wise. I have put more focus into the class however as I realize the importance it could have for my future, and outside of school have been practicing my driving skills during this opportune time. With the decreased work load of quarantine, I will continue this increased focus on the big picture.

LoveThisPic, https://www.lovethispic.com/tag/hate+quotes. Accessed 5 Feb. 2020.