Essay Sample about Race Relations

Interaction between diverse ethnic groups will always be a difficult topic to discuss. From my perspective, depending on where a person was raised and by whom, determines social behavioral interactions between races. Upon the questions asked: How often do I interact with other races? How might these interactions affect how I see those people? How or why could these interactions be important in contributing to a healthy society? It is a strong belief of mine to treat others with the same respect as you would people of your own, regardless of color. Importantly, reviewing the topic questions has made me look back on how I interact with others who are not of the same color as myself and not only discuss my views, but define the importance of interaction with those who are ethnically different. 

Being raised in a small town and currently a high school student from a public county school, I have never had an open mind about different ethnicities or people of different colors. We place ourselves in groups with others who look like us, not thinking to choose someone whose skin color is opposite to ours. After this being said, I do not purposely try to make myself have friends of a different race, I rarely think about some of my friends being ethnically different. In particular, one of my closest friends was born in Hawaii and is Hawaiian. She had an amazing opportunity as a baby to be adopted by a family from Alabama and I do not think any differently from her because of her skin color or where she is from. Another close friend of mine is Hispanic and he was born in America and his family moved here for a better life experience. To me, it is inspiring to see these culturally different people come here for a better life. I do not treat these friends any differently than I would those who are the same color as myself. As an individual, choosing who I spend time with is not determined by others' race, religion, or culture. It is important to remember to try to see people as they are through their actions rather than their physical traits. 

Furthermore, looking back on how often I connect with different ethnicities has changed my perspective on social interactions. As discussed earlier, personally, I do not think about how often I am around people of different colors. Thinking about the racially different friends I do have, they do not have a different lifestyle than my family. These few close friends were raised the same as me, grew up in the same area, and have the same ideologies. Although, I have thought about how these few friends may feel in a public setting where they are the only ones of their race. It should be noted that many teenagers or even adults see people of different colors as being wrong. As a friend, these few will not be treated any differently than people of my color. Though having friends of different ethnicities, I now do not think about having my mindset of only having friends who look like myself. 

In addition to this topic, why might such interactions between different ethnic groups be important for a healthy society? To answer this question, interaction with different ethnicities is important for a healthy society and to grow closer together as a whole. It would be ideal for humans to interact with each other regardless of color, but that is not always the case. Children’s perception of color starts at a young age and they are influenced throughout their lives by social media, television, and peers. Hearing negative comments about another race at a young age affects the child's mind into believing it is wrong to be another color. A child cannot decide their color when they are born, they are born as they are and that cannot be changed. A child or adult should not be discouraged from being born as a different color, so saying this, every color of the person should be accepted. Past generations have viewed people of the opposite color to be too different to live the same way as some, this could not be any less true. Today, we should discard the mindset of color and focus on treating other humans equally. 

Previously discussed, I have set my views on how often I interact on a personal level with people of other races and how those interactions affect the way I see people who are ethnically different than myself. In addition, it was important to note how these interactions with people of different colors are important for a healthy society. This is a very important concept that all people should learn. Researching into this topic has changed my perception of how I view race relations. I have never thought about my interactions with different races. Now, for myself, I create a more open mind when it comes to viewing things from a different perspective.