HoUC
Meet Andrew Allen, a Texas native and a public relations and marketing major. Coming from the South and in this current political climate, Drew and his family still face some discrimination and racial profiling. He says that he still gets followed in stores to ensure he’s not stealing. So when February comes around, he is grateful for the significance of Black History Month. He says that it is remembrance for history. It is a time to highlight and educate people about the history and process of civil rights and African-American accomplishments. To him it’s also a reminder to be thankful for those who fought and struggled and came before so he could attend a college and not face segregation.
Andrew is hopeful, to say the least. While he says that hate can never be eradicated, things can still improve. He cites that even within our lifetime, there have been changes in people’s mindsets. Racism is vastly different than in the 1960s, so there is still hope that racism will continue to become less popular, as long as there is a conscious and collective effort to change and improve society. There is a long road ahead, since this society is far from perfect, but that doesn’t mean it’s not impossible.
Francisco is a senior studying Computing and Photo Video Imaging.