The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

Blog: The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

   A former memory that I have which incorporated bias and prejudice was in my high school statistics honors class. I was the only “person of color” and thereby felt like an outcast due to the stares I was receiving. Due to the class being a high achievement class, the amount of individuals in color was lacking in few. Some individuals even made small gestures and phrases saying “Why is that Black girl in this class?” and others were abrupt saying “Hey Black girl, the regular class is down the Hallway.” I ignored all of the phrases and sayings that they spoke and begin to listen for my name in roll call. There was a girl from Russia, with a strange name and they immediately thought that is was me, because it sounded “Black”. Once my name was called everyone was in shock because to them it was “not an ethnic name.” I then constructed that math formulas on a daily basis and the teacher would praise me for getting the correct answer. Feelings of anguish and animosity developed because that could not believe that I was smart in math. Some individuals even called me a “cheater.” Later on throughout the semester an opportunity for greater equity developed. This was by individuals opening up to me and allowing for collaboration and growth to develop. They began to converse with me and soon realize that I was meant to be in the classroom. I even had students come up to me for classroom help. Towards the end of the semester I had the highest grade in that class and felt and overall achievement hence the barriers that I faced.