What Does My Father Mean To Me

My father inspired me to step into a world outside of my comfort zone. Terrified of being in large crowds, I discovered that fitting in with different people would be impossible for me. As a result, my regular life unexpectedly changed by the time I became a junior. With the recent news of racial violence, such as the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown, I felt discomfort from being around my classmates almost every day. I chose to not have someone worry about how I feared being around them merely due to their race. My uneasiness eventually had progressed to a point where my father became concerned about my social life. I heard and read several accounts of police officers killing people around my age since they were black. Through those startling events, I did not interact with other people physically or verbally. However, my father – although I hid my deepest fear from him – constantly revealed those stories to me anyway by turning on the world news on our television every evening that I came home from school. The effects that racism burdened on the nation became difficult for me to process as it spread like wildfire. My father lectured me on how racism is everywhere;
He would urge me to understand what lies beyond myself as I learn world by telling me to explore different activities, whether they involve traveling to another state or going to social gatherings. My father once took me to a discussion panel that spoke about racial issues that are happening to the black community and non-violent solutions to those problems. Although I did not say anything at that panel, I felt as though I should finally open myself up as I discover new goals that I can accomplish every day. Since I can tread a fearless path while aware of my surroundings, I remain grateful to my father for changing my vision of the