Essay On Racial Stereotyping

Let me start by stating that any topic concerning race is a difficult for those involved and a virtual minefield for anyone discussing it. That being said, I live in south Texas where the Hispanic ethnicity dominates the surrounding area. The Hispanic population in Laredo, Texas accounts for ninety-five percent of all it citizens (United States Census Bureau). I am part of that ninety-five percent. However, many people mistaken me for being from a different ethnicity because of the color of my skin and hair. Racial serotyping is a very common in today’s culture. I never understood how big racial stereotyping was until my junior year when I met my friend Morgan.
That year, while taking a senior level business class we were required to create
a business through junior achievement enabling us to learn how to create and manage a business. We spent a lot of time with our classmates in meetings to design our product and company. Morgan and I were the only juniors in that class, and she had just moved in from Missouri and she spoke often of the culture shock experienced in the to Laredo. I met Morgan on the first day of that business class. Since I was the first to arrive, I got to choose where I wanted to sit. I decided to sit in the middle of the room. While I waited for people to arrive, Morgan came into the class and sat next to me. As we started talking, she asked me for my name. I replied with my first name and then made more small talk. Class began shortly afterwards and the teacher started calling out the names of us in the class. Finally, the teacher got to my name and yelled out, “Isabella Garcia.”
Morgan had a look of surprise. I went up and got the papers the teacher was passing out as she called roll. When I returned to my desk, Morgan laughed, “Oh you’re Hispanic! I didn’t realize it until I heard your last name.”
I laughed and asked, “Why?”
Morgan replied, “Because you have a very white complexion, freckles, and auburn colored hair.” I heard a lot of people, even famous people that have stereotyped my race due to lack of knowledge on the culture and customs.
I’ve heard the typical “lazy” and “dumb” stereotypes, but I had never heard one that had to do with my appearance. I didn’t know how to reply, and I was a little shocked by Morgan’s response. Some people would respond on a topic this sensitive defensively or even aggressively. However, this experience has taught me the skill that is needed in situations like this patience. I finally responded to her calmly and in good spirits, “Morgan there are a lot of Hispanics with light complexion or red hair with freckles.” She replied sincerely, “Oh yeah I know that sorry if I offended you I did not mean it like that.” Although the exchange was short, this moment has stayed with me because there are many people in this world that are not knowledgeable or educated on ethnicity and race. Although my encounter was harmless, I can only feel awful for those that experience the worst kind. Those few minutes changed how I choose to react in future situations where others may respond with answers that I may not like or expect. Most people base their knowledge on different races and ethnicities by the stereotype that accompanies them, which is a major problem in today’s
society.