Erin Lovejoy,
Portland, ME
I grew up in an extremely white town. There was almost no diversity anywhere to be found. Maine is predominantly white, so even after changing schools, I encountered the same problem. I was never really talked to about race issues. I think a lot of people from where I have grown up see it as an issue that doesn’t really affect them, therefore we don’t need to talk about it.
I always had talks with my friends about this and the ignorance of some of the people we went to school with. There were a lot of unknowns and a lot of unwillingness to learn on their part. When I got to college, I took a women’s studies class first semester that dealt with “gender, power, and privilege.” I learned so much in that class from people who had dealt with discrimination and from other stories that we read. I learned that even though I may not be a person of color or come from a unique ethnic background, I needed to stand up for the rights of the people who are. It affects me because I have white privilege.
