Guest Blog: The Prejudice Revolution

The following is a guest blog (originally published on LinkedIn) from Santiago Lugo, a high school sophomore from St. Louis, Missouri:

"True change originates from the core of an individual, their heart, and from an unfeigned desire to create the best society possible."

These are some ideas that have been on my mind lately, and I wanted to share them out: We have a crisis of discrimination in our country. A crisis of thinking of someone as lower than us in any one aspect of their existence: their gender, their race, their intellect, their political view. By belittling others, we do nothing more than poison ourselves, giving us a sense of superiority in a world where every individual's worth is equal. Most of all, we intoxicate our society, by perpetuating the great divide that tears our nation, and our world, apart. 

The United States’ discrimination crisis stems from our inherent human bias to discriminate, which for years has sculpted a society that secludes, judges, and degrades individuals we perceive as less than ourselves. In truth, attempting to solve the issue of discrimination requires nothing short of a prejudice revolution, an entire alteration of the beliefs and norms that make up society.

Solving this issue isn’t about utilizing money to change the minds of the people who for centuries have associated contributed to the discrimination, or about relying on government action to demand acceptance of the characteristics that have been ostracized for so long. True change originates from the core of an individual, their heart, and from an unfeigned desire to create the best society possible. 

This prejudice revolution stems from the beating hearts of the people who are willing to look past the differences of one another and embrace each other in brotherhood. It stems from a radical love for one another, an undying hope for something greater in each of us, a heartfelt desire to not judge each other by the color of our skin or by the condition of our mind, but by the content of our character. It stems from a daily commitment to say no to the temptations of prejudice, to reach out to those who need help with a hand of compassion. It stems from accepting that being different is okay. Then we can truly cultivate a society of love, a society of acceptance, a society of compassion. But, most of all, a society of justice. 

The sun is rising on a new society, but it is up to each individual to be the change they want to be in our world. Are you ready to be part of this prejudice revolution?

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An interview with the author:

Thank you for allowing me to share your words on my blog. What motivated you to write this piece?

Well, I feel like it’s just something I’ve been thinking about a lot. I actually wrote about this for English when we did a research paper, and I wrote about discrimination against the mentally ill. But this is something I’ve been thinking about a lot, just the role that discrimination plays in a society and I just wanted to start writing on LinkedIn. I have a lot of ideas in my head, but I don’t really voice them enough unless it’s for a school project, or whatever. I just wanted to start sharing my ideas and let my opinion be known.

Are young people leading the prejudice revolution?

Yeah, for sure. I feel like we’re starting to realize all these injustices in our world. It’s our duty to improve our situation, and if it’s not us, who is it? The best time to enact change is now.

Is this entirely up to individuals, or does the government play a role in creating a more compassionate society?

I’m not trying to talk against the government, or whatever, but from a sociological standpoint, discrimination is the norm. We’ve learned to accept discrimination and that’s why it’s still a thing. And it’s not just about the government going this is bad, because the way to achieve true change is to have each individual do their own part. Obviously, if one person does it, it won’t necessarily change the whole society, but it inspires others to start changing. That’s what I was getting at. Obviously, the government can help and should help. We also have a responsibility, a moral obligation to live our lives the way we should be living them and do our part to make society better.

You stated, “By belittling others, we do nothing more than poison ourselves”... can you elaborate on what that means for our society?

Everyone ultimately has the same worth, no matter who you are. And if we’re not treating people like that, that reflects who you are and symbolizes some kind of brokenness in yourself. If you have to put someone down because you need to feel superior, that shouldn’t be the case. You don’t have to be mean to someone else to be important or to matter, and that’s the disconnect that many times will lead to that behavior.

Do you think a complete change is possible in individuals, or even entire nations?

It’s not like, Okay, I’m a changed man now. But I feel like it’s a daily decision. Am I gonna make this racist comment? No! It’s that daily practice when it almost becomes a habit. That’s all an attitude is — a habit, and it’s something we create. We’d be living in a very dark world if we didn’t believe people could change. I feel like people can change, but it’s up to them to want it and do those daily actions, which will ultimately spark change.

What kinds of things are you personally doing to be part of the prejudice revolution?

For example, I talked to the faculty — every teacher in the school — on Wednesday morning on inclusion and diversity. That was about discrimination against people who are “foreign” or “not American”.  I also try every day to live it out, watch what I’m saying and how I interact with people. If I see a friend say a racist comment or something, I’ll call them out on it. That’s what I’m doing, and I hope to be writing more on LinkedIn, maybe over spring break.