There Is No Planet B

Environmental Racism; who would have thought that such an issue exists in our world? I definitely wouldn’t have. Yet it does and it is very prevalent in the United States. Is racism that important to the offender that people of color are even targeted and purposely placed in harmful polluted communities where factories are present?  Environmental racism is a shame.

Not only are communities of color being targeted but also people in general. The government and elites in the political system are keeping quiet on crazy facts that we as citizens of the United States who possess human and civil rights should know. Like the fact that 80% of juice boxes that we consume contain lead or that 40% of rain forests were torn down in Central America to pasteurize cattle for the U.S. market burgers. Our environment and our bodies are being destroyed by the government who feel that depopulating the earth is one solution to help the earth. We Americans are unconscious of these facts and more that ultimately affect our bodies and our lives. But one major point that we people must be aware of is the fact that everything is business in this society and in business emotions aren’t taken into consideration. Mr. Zaccai stated that “There is no planet B.” Therefore we must be aware of the tactics the government has to destroy the human population and the earth and we must be aware of the things we do unintentionally that harm the world in which we must live. Go green and help save the earth. Love yourself enough to make a change in your lifestyle and enlighten others about the government and what is happening to the earth so they can make a change also.

 

Self-Assesment

As I sat and read my blogs, I realized that my writing has evolved into something that has been long awaited by me and my English teacher in high school. I now incorporate details and emotion into my writings and one of those emotions I recognized included anger. I wrote many blogs about minorities in society, groups of people who are often times discriminated against. These minorities include Black people and homosexuals. Understanding that this topic was very prevalent in my blogs, I realized that I care about the public and I desire to be a voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves. I was surprised when I read about how passionate I felt about a topic that has been frowned upon by society for so long; homosexuals in the army. I was proud of myself for speaking up for what I believe to be right and I am happy that I used my voice for something positive. Although I was a little skeptical about blogging every week, I have come to value my chance to speak up and say exactly what is on my mind.

Research papers have never been a favorite of mine to write. I never looked forward to conducting research and citing my sources because the process seemed so tedious to me. When Dr. Diaz announced to my English class that we were going to have numerous research papers to write my heart dropped and my eyes closed. However, I had no choice but to complete each assignment. Little did I know, I would soon warm up to writing research papers. As of now, I love conducting research because in the process of it I learn new things. I am comfortable with using technology now because I am so used to conducting research. A weakness of mine is citing sources fully and thoroughly, however, I am strong in the area of doing research. I’m proud that I have evolved so much in my English class and I plan to grow so much more in the next few months.

Reclaim Your Future

             Dr. Ben Carson’s speech at my school, Howard University, truly left me inspired; feeling the need to run out into the world and make a difference. His many words of wisdom struck me in a place I never knew existed. In that moment, I was urged to do things I have never thought of doing before. Listening to his story of him as a young boy in school showed me that just because you made mistakes in your past doesn’t mean your future is going to be a definite failure. His words told me that regardless of mistakes and how you start off in school, whether it is receiving bad grades or disrespecting other students or even teachers, the most important thing is to make a turn around. Then your future will turn out brighter than ever because there was a lesson learned and a struggle to produce great progression.

                Dr. Carson inspired me to speak up for what I believe in and how I feel because that is exactly what “a university is for”. (Convocation Speech) We were brought here to refresh the world with different views and ideas about important issues in our lives; for if we think like others have thought, we are nothing “special”. We are merely a repeat of what others have done and we stand out in no way. Conformity is a form of suicide and if we choose to hide who we really are and how we think, the world will find itself in self-destruction.

                Dr. Ben Carson stated that “The person who has the most to do with what happens to you is you. You can actually control your own destiny.” (Convocation Speech) He is absolutely right. I choose whether or not to do work for class, I choose when I will sleep and when I will study. I choose whether to go out or stay in. And today, because of Dr. Carson’s inspirational words, I choose to always stand out and become exactly what I wanted to be years ago. I will keep my dreams regardless of what others say and I will reclaim my future.

www.howard.edu