Racial Diversity and the True Colors of Life Essay -- Sociology Racism

Racial Diversity - The True Colors of Life    Think of the world as a box of crayons. A box in which each color stands in its own designated space. Like these crayons, we each have different shades, tints, and most importantly, we all leave marks on our world when used. Some of us will leave a bold, vivid mark that cannot be unnoticed. For others of us, our mark is soft and subtle. Alone, each crayon can only achieve so much in the expression it can make. The way we express ourselves is limited to our own color that is made up of our customs, culture and experiences in life. It is not until we learn to mix our understandings, beliefs, our experiences, that a new color and expression can be made by each one of us. If we do this, the realm of possiblities for the box expands.    Being a freshman in a new world where all is overwhelming and completely foreign has presented its share of challenges. I have been faced with academic demands that I never experienced in my high school career. Socially, I have strived to find a place to fit in and find acceptance. The challenge I did not anticipate meeting with appreciation, however, is the diversity I have encountered in my first semester of college. For this reason, I have been prompted to take note of the diversity on our campus and to write this essay in an effort to emphasize its cruciality.    A man stands in the center of the quad preaching. In a voice filled with urgency and depth he preaches his belief that Jesus Christ is his salvation and the world's only truth. A young woman asks a panel of her peers, resentment and anger trembling in her voice, why she can not display her lesbian pride sticker on her car without glances of disgust... ...nd success and their place in the crayon box.    I realize the importance of the diversity on our campus and have a gratitude I never new existed. Never before have I embraced meeting my peers with a desire to explore a new culture or discover something about myself never known before. The girl who expresses her sexuality, the man who preaches his faith and the hippies who bead their lives are all beneficial to each and every student who passes them in their rush to class. For the first time in our lives we are trying to find our true identity. We are faced with adverse situations and ideas we are presented with for the first time in our lives. We look at our peers judgments and are forced to make our own. Through those, we discover our true selves. After all, how does a purple crayon know he is purple until he has compared himself to a red?