Harlee Woods,
Vernal, UT
I have never really understood why the color of people’s skin would affect the way that they act. This summer I went to the Turks and Caicos Islands, most of the people on the island were black. Every employee at our resort was also black. Before I went to Turks this summer I never really had a lot of interactions with colored people. I had never had much of an opinion of colored people but had always put them in the same stereotype that society does. The only remembrance of an interaction that I had with a colored person was a robbery that I witnessed by two black men. That’s no reason to stereotype all colored people but that was the only interaction that I had. Many white men and people of all races commit crimes every day, but I found it ironic that the one time I witnessed a robbery it was two black men. After I went to Turks my whole perspective changed. Every employee at our resort was black, and I have never met more kind and hard-working people in my life. The picture that I have attached is a picture of one of the main waitresses that help my travel group. She is the kindest, funniest, and the smartest person that I have ever met. I realized that not all “black” people are the same, and the same goes for white people. We all come from different families and cultures. Why should we let the color of people’s skin affect our thought process about them and what their personality is? After this experience, I have started to branch out more, and not just with colored people but everyone. We all want friends and to feel loved and appreciated, so why let our outside appearance affect who we meet, and how we judge others?
