Mellody Hobson’s speech “Color Blind or Color Brave?” is one of the first things that came to mind when I was given the prompt. In my opinion, racism and any type of discrimination is a significant issue in society which should be discussed more frequently as a way to educate people and alleviate ignorance. Although this topic may cause controversial arguments to emerge, I believe it is important to counter every argument that tries to undermine the urgency of this issue. Hearing about the racist encounters that people of color are faced with in their everyday lives would make those who know about the preexisting issue care more and those who are not familiar with it more aware. Since I have seen people I care about be discriminated against either because of their race or religion, I feel very strongly about this topic and would love to try to make a difference somehow. Although I know that  solely my writing in this class won’t be able to make a difference in society, I believe that writing about this issue will allow me to at least inform those who read it and make them realize the merit in Hobson’s argument. Her use of rhetorical devices in her speech is very effective, but her use of pathos and logos are most prominent. I know that those who have experienced racism would be able to relate and empathize when hearing about her personal experiences at work and at school as a seven year old girl. Her use of statistical evidence to support her claims about racism in the workplace and the faultiness in being “color blind” is also very effective since most people do not know much about it. In my opinion, the main reason why people are still so uninformed and ignorant about this ongoing issue is because of the discomfort that comes along with talking about it. However, as Hobson states, it is important for everyone to become “comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Her speech: https://www.ted.com/talks/mellody_hobson_color_blind_or_color_brave

Ever since I was a young girl, I wanted to become a doctor when I got older. I was so sure of what I wanted to pursue that my relatives and even my friends would always refer to me as “Doctor Raisa.” It made me feel good about myself back then, but now I feel as if I have to live up to everyone’s expectations and that’s pretty stressful. Especially now, as a biochemistry major, I realize how difficult it is going to actually be to become a doctor. However, there is nothing else I want to study and pursue, so I am motivated enough to try as hard as I can to succeed and become what I want. So far, school hasn’t been too difficult, but I can see how it can easily become challenging and difficult to maintain. Especially since I have the tendency to procrastinate a lot and get distracted easily, I always end up getting my work done in time making sure it’s quality work. Coming from a South Asian, Bengali family, the pressure to do exceptionally well in school and actually become either a doctor, lawyer, or engineer is real (I know other South Asians can relate).

In addition to my academic interests, I always enjoyed arts and crafts, even though I’m not all that great. It’s very comforting and stress relieving and I have been exposed to it ever since I was young because of my mother. My childhood consisted of doing a lot of art at home with my mother for fun and it stuck as a hobby as I got older. The artwork that we created always had some cultural or religious characteristics and I feel as if that helped me to grow up with a lot of Bengali Muslim pride. Although there were times when I have faced problems because of my ethnicity and especially my religion, I would never let racism and disrespectful comments make me lose sight of how amazing my identity is. Even now, my pride in my culture and religion is very prominent and I would definitely say that it’s a big part of me.

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