A Roller Coaster Day

     Today was a roller coaster day.  Students in my Contemporary Reading and Writing classes are writing on the topic of “discrimination.”  In plain English, to discriminate means to distinguish, single out, or make a distinction. In everyday life, we discriminate in almost every decision we make. But in the context of civil rights law, unfair discrimination refers to unequal treatment of an individual or a group based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion and sexual orientation, to name a few. We often believe falsely that discrimination is a myth or that it occurs somewhere else, but today I was shocked to reality by my young college students.



     The students had read and discussed in class an article, “No Guts No Glory” by Molly M. Ginty. The article is about how women are stereotyped in the military and the discrimination they face.  Now keep in mind that there is no right or wrong viewpoint in this class. Students must just express their viewpoint on an intellectual level and back it up with facts and examples. In discussing this particular article, most students seemed to support women in the military while some did not. Both viewpoints are open to discussion, they just must be able to discuss their viewpoint intelligently. As a follow-up, the students are given the assignment to consider other situations in which people may be unfairly judged by stereotypes. Their essay may take any point of view but must be supported with evidence.

     Today, as I sat individually with students advising them on their essays, I became very disheartened as they shared their personal stories related to the topics of discrimination they had chosen.   So many bright young students who had personally experienced overt discrimination was heartbreaking. It made me sad for them and it made me sad for our city because they spoke of discrimination in our own town, not in some faraway place. All I could do was tell them how very sorry I was that they had experienced discrimination so overtly and personally. They could clearly see my emotional reaction. Most sessions ended in big hugs. I had not expected this.

     Several young Muslim women especially touched me as they shared some very personal experiences. They told me of jobs lost and services denied. One young woman shared that she had applied for a job and was offered the job.  However, when given the uniform, she asked to be allowed to wear pants or tights under the uniform because her beliefs do not allow her to wear short skirts. She was given the Ok to wear the hijab, but not the pants under the uniform. She lost the job. Another student told me how she and her husband had booked a room in a hotel online, a national chain. When they arrived, they were turned away because the manager said they looked like terrorists. The young couple had to find another room for the night. Still another student was offered a handshake by a supervisor and she politely responded “Thank you for your hand in friendship, but I cannot shake hands with a male due to my beliefs. “She did not get the job and the supervisor actually told her that her beliefs were “ridiculous.” Still another student told me that when interviewing for a job in a medical office, she was told she could not wear her hijab because it would scare their patients. Can they file suits of discrimination against these places? Probably. Can they call corporate offices? Of course, they can. But they are young and afraid. They are trying to blend in and be one of “us.” They aren’t looking for attention or to be on the news and face more hate and discrimination, so they let it go. My heart aches for them.  We have a lot of “heart” work to do.  We have a lot of barriers to break and a lot of educating to be done.

     On a high note, at the end of the day, I met with a young Afro American male who was writing about discrimination against women.  It is very rare to have a male student writing about women’s issues and I was thrilled. I read just the other day, that women will never win the fight for equality and against sexual harassment unless men support us in the fight by becoming more vocal.  We talked for a while and the student’s insight into discrimination against women was to be applauded. He knew more than many women know about discrimination against women and why it occurs. I told him he had made my day, given me hope and that as a female I appreciated his selection of this topic. I look forward to reading his final essay. As I said, it was a roller coaster day!