Black Lives Matter. The year is 2015. My sister tells me the story of a black boy walking into our predominantly white middle school wearing a shirt that reads: BLM. She talks about how surprised she was that he fearlessly showcased his support for a cause no one cared for. After George Floyd's murder in 2020, this same movement that was once publicly rejected became a cheap slogan for massive companies such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, Netflix, Nike, etc. A movement that had once only been whispered about behind closed doors with like-minded people, filled Instagram bios and defined friendships. Before this paradigm shift, having friends with conflicting opinions was acceptable. After Floyd’s murder, having friends who did not believe in Black Lives Matter was inappropriate, expressed indirect racism, or, if you were black, proved you were not proud of your community. Black Lives Matter was the first thing I had ever been passionate about. Before the Black Lives Matter movement became globally accepted, I lacked security in my identity as an African American. While attending predominantly white schools, I allowed my peers to make racist remarks without realizing anything was wrong or correcting them. It was not until I watched my community come together and demand change that I realized the way racism is considered history in schools is incredibly wrong. This movement opened my eyes to see that slavery is not black history; it is American history. It also revealed to me that slavery did not end in 1834; it evolved. While this paradigm shift corrected the way I saw African American history, it also caused me to question how genuine people were when affiliating themselves with the movement. Was it just for social acceptance? Did everyone suddenly believe in Black Lives Matter? Though I was proud to see global acknowledgment on a long-awaited issue, my faith in its authenticity became frail. It was impossible to discern which people cared about the lives lost and who cared about how incorrectly American history is taught to our youth in schools. I often think of George Floyd, and while I am sad that it took his death for people to acknowledge the need for change, I choose to honor his memory and recognize Mr. Floyd as a martyr. Without him, I believe the African American community would be in even worse shape. Before 2020, there was a public acceptance and ignorance of racism. No longer is this an accepted idea. Now, there is an odd comfort knowing everyone feels as though they are obligated to support you because of fear of public rejection. Though Black Lives Matter became a trademark for many companies to abuse, to the African American community, it is still our burden to bear. Therefore, despite the use of Black Lives Matter in distasteful ways, I will continue to support the movement that pleads for basic human rights for African Americans.

By the age of 17, I had moved over six times which repeatedly caused me to change schools. My mom has always told me that in searching for the house we would relocate to, she always first looked at the school I would have to attend. Because she wanted me in the best schools that received the most funding and were highly ranked, I always attended predominantly white schools. I was one of, sometimes the only, black girl in my classes growing up, and this did not change until my senior year. As an African American female, I spent much of my childhood uncomfortable in my skin. I rejected my identity as a black woman and instead stayed quiet to not draw attention to myself. I was not a teacher's pet; I was someone who got okay grades silently and was not considered a try-hard. Because of this pressure I put on myself to blend in, I allowed myself to fall into the background. This insecurity did not change until my junior year. My sister, the President of Key Club, came up with an idea to begin a club at our school for the black students to have a safe place to address how they felt at our school. I knew I wanted to be a part of this because I could relate to the other black students. After a long battle with the principal, my sister was finally able to begin the club, and I led it alongside her. During this time, I was also in Key Club and FCCLA, participating in activities like toy donations, taking handwritten notes and letters to children's hospitals, hosting events like Trunk or Treat, and hosting a children's Christmas party. However, I chose to devote most of my time to the new club we created, BLACK, since it allowed me and other students to be vulnerable about our struggles and experience at our institution. I have now graduated high school early, and my sister and I no longer manage the club. However, my friend now is President of the club we created, and it has become a place for black students to come together and be transparent about their experiences. The club leaders are working to find community service projects for the, now titled, Black Student Union. In the future, I plan to create a committee that helps integrate black clubs into all schools in predominantly white areas. I want to do this because the black club I was involved in helped me become more in tune with my identity as an African American woman and helped me realize I did not need to filter who I was for approval.

When I state I want to major in criminal justice, a common first response is, “Interesting. So do you want to be a lawyer or like a police officer?” I have begun to notice that when people think of criminal justice, they only consider those career paths without even giving thought to the people who do the behind-the-scenes work. Workers who are just as, or maybe even more, impactful. Although these positions are neglected, the work done changes lives. To ensure I am fulfilling my call of assisting people and making a difference in the world, I will be a victims advocate and help the forgotten. After someone commits a crime and harm is done, the entertainment is over for viewers and the media, while the survivors must attempt to puzzle their lives back together. I want to ensure that not only do these people feel seen but also assisted. To assure that I can be as helpful as possible, I will also own a non-profit that assists survivors financially, psychologically, and emotionally. I will obtain a criminal justice degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte because it will allow me more opportunities in this career field, and I will be able to make more of an impact. With a degree, I will also be knowledgeable in assisting victims, and donors will be more trusting to help fund my non-profit organizations.

I have moved over six times in 17 years. In every move, my mother has always said she chose the best school then picked a house that would allow me to attend that specific school. Although I have always attended the best schools in the county I live in, I have noticed I am usually the only black girl, or sometimes the only black student, in my classes. My niece and nephew live in Jacksonville, Florida, and attend predominantly black schools. They both told me that there are either one or no white students in their classes. The predominantly white schools I attended were rated an 8 or 9/10 on GreatSchools; their primarily black school is a 2/10. Segregation in the American public school system did not end in 1964; it evolved. Because segregation still plagues our school system, minorities receive education in low-budget and impoverished schools. At these schools, students do not have as many highly qualified teachers, funding and donations, opportunities, or challenging curriculum, compared to schools in wealthier areas where most of the students are white. If given a chance to change this, I would supply the funds to bus children from low-income areas to better schools. Integrating schools would afford the minorities a fair opportunity at receiving a quality education because wealthier districts receive more funding, and students perform better than they do at impoverished schools. Because highly qualified teachers do not receive as much compensation and assistance from the administration in lower-income schools, they go to schools that will afford them these things. By bussing students to these highly beneficial schools, the education gap between minorities and white students would decrease and not at the expense of white students. With integration, minority students and white students would have equal opportunity and equal education. Schools in impoverished areas receive little to no funding because they rely on property taxes to fund their institutions. Because of this, wealthier areas and poor areas do not receive enough funds for schools, causing students attending lower-income schools to fall behind. By attending schools that receive enough funding, minority students are granted the same education as white students. Socially, integrating schools allows all students to create purposeful relationships with peers from other backgrounds and ethnicities. In this, BIPOC students counter stereotypes about academic abilities, and attending students would be able to confront prejudice about other races at a young age. Lastly, by attending better schools, children who are the minority will be less likely to drop out and are more likely to further their education at college, which will allow them to move out of less fortunate areas. If given the opportunity to influence any social issue, I would choose to assist minorities in attending better schools to ensure they receive the same opportunities, resources, and education that schools in wealthier areas have.

The year is 2110. It has been nearly eighty years since the last outbreak. Inside classrooms, students log onto their tablets and complete their assignments independently. No lecture is conducted at the front of the class for all students to pay attention to. There also is no verbal communication between teachers and students; or amongst the students themselves. Questions are asked and answered electronically, and partner and group work does not exist. This week's history assignment includes stories of how almost ninety years ago, units were not taught by just reading words off of a screen. This generation learns the way students and teachers interacted before everything changed. The students believe that it was inappropriate how communicative teachers and students used to be. They never knew teachers were unfamiliar with teaching virtually before 2020 when they had to adjust because of the rise of the new global pandemic. COVID-19. This week's chapter assignment, followed by the next: Black Lives Matter, covered how COVID-19 began, how we handled it, the damage it caused, and the aftermath. Students learned of the turning point in the education system. They were shocked that school was once so interpersonal and that COVID-19 was why a new class was mandatory for all students: PREP (short for preparation). A course that taught students how to prepare for everything from fires and floods to pandemics and other natural disasters. About a hundred years from the beginning of COVID-19, I see our education system embodying independent learning, teachers issuing lighter workloads, and staff receiving more pay. Regarding the curriculum, I envision that courses designed to prepare students for natural disasters and courses regarding mental health will be mandatory. I also believe history classes will address racial inequality correctly. At the beginning of COVID-19, students and teachers scrambled to adjust to working online; while also adapting to working from home. Some people were able to conform to this new way of learning, while others struggled to adjust to the different circumstances. To conduct school in person but protect students from potentially spreading illnesses, I believe students will attend class in person; however, there will be limited interaction amongst students and teachers. As a result of the new way of learning during COVID-19, teachers issued lighter workloads, and mental health lessons were mandatory every week. Because of this, I believe if COVID-19 continues, our education system will revert to the practices utilized during quarantine; and students will be assigned less work while also taking mandatory mental health courses. While students adjusted to the new curriculum, teachers scrambled to make their entire course online. Teachers who had never used online resources to teach became fully reliant on them. They also were charged with incorporating mental health assignments into their class curriculum. Although teachers have yet to receive the recognition they deserve for their resilience during this transition, it proved they deserve more compensation. Classes that educate students on handling threatening situations will be created to prepare for emergencies. Courses like PREP, will be established to provide comfort and knowledge to students with hopes to prevent some of the turmoil natural disasters may cause. The material in classes like this will cover how we handled COVID-19, what worked, and what was ineffective. This course will be helpful in regards to preparing for another unexpected natural disaster. Lastly, I am confident that our education system will correct its curriculum regarding African American history. Just months into COVID-19, after the brutal murder of George Floyd, there was a country-wide outcry for racial equality. People everywhere demanded change for the African American community. This paradigm shift began the conversation about the public acceptance and ignorance of racism that has plagued America for too long. Because of the new global awareness, history was made for the African American community in 2020. Due to these protests, how the education system addresses African American history will hopefully change within the next one hundred years. Eventually, schools should not teach that slavery is black history; but instead American history. COVID-19 revealed many issues about the education system in many different regards. To ensure protection against the spread of germs, I believe the education system will become virtual while in person. Also, I am confident that those in charge will correct the mistakes of our education system today regarding heavy workloads, shunning of the mental well-being of students, and teachers' low pay. Regarding the curriculum, I think schools will include mandatory preparation classes for natural disasters and teach racial issues correctly.