Tamir Rice Essay I was on my laptop at my house when I watched Tamir Rice get shot in the chest by a police officer. I clicked on the article, and I remember thinking that maybe it was an accidental firing. Tamir was shot at close range because the officers at the scene thought he had a gun. He was not given a chance to explain himself, but was assumed to be dangerous. At twelve, Tamir was just a little older than my own brother, who also played with toy guns. I let out an involuntary sigh of relief that my brother was not black, because that meant that neither I or my family would have to worry about his safety the way that we would if he was black. Guilt immediately began to fill my entire body, rising to my face. My own brother was not black, but was I not...show more content...I was trying to convince myself that this was not an epidemic, but a one time case. I felt my stomach drop as headline after headline came up, basically saying the same thing: Black man is killed by police... fill in the blank (because he began to run, after being pulled over for a broken tail light, because officers thought he was carrying a gun). Most of these headlines became headlines because of a stereotype that black men are more violent than men of other races. I decided I wanted to do something about it, and not because I felt guilty, but because I knew it was necessary. I became interested in a topic that I am still very passionate about today social justice and equality. Suddenly, I was learning words that had been uttered in my friend group as I was growing up were racist or ableist, like the word retarded. I began reading articles and watching documentaries, not only on police brutality, but about a whole myriad of other topics, like what cultural appropriation is and why it is harmful. I heard the word Islamophobia for the first time at a diversity conference. I discovered that I could be judgmental of other people, especially women, and I began to unlearn some of the prejudice I had absorbed growing up. I attended the Women s March on Washington. I participated in my school s severely underdeveloped club for diversity and worked to make it more active and educational. I learned that being an activist Get more content on HelpWriting.net

1. Tamir Rice Essay
I was on my laptop at my house when I watched Tamir Rice get shot in the chest by a police officer. I clicked on the article, and I remember
thinking that maybe it was an accidental firing. Tamir was shot at close range because the officers at the scene thought he had a gun. He was
not given a chance to explain himself, but was assumed to be dangerous. At twelve, Tamir was just a little older than my own brother, who also
played with toy guns. I let out an involuntary sigh of relief that my brother was not black, because that meant that neither I or my family would
have to worry about his safety the way that we would if he was black. Guilt immediately began to fill my entire body, rising to my face. My own
brother was not black, but was I not...show more content...
I was trying to convince myself that this was not an epidemic, but a one–time case. I felt my stomach drop as headline after headline came up,
basically saying the same thing: Black man is killed by police... fill in the blank (because he began to run, after being pulled over for a broken tail
light, because officers thought he was carrying a gun). Most of these headlines became headlines because of a stereotype – that black men are
more violent than men of other races. I decided I wanted to do something about it, and not because I felt guilty, but because I knew it was
necessary. I became interested in a topic that I am still very passionate about today – social justice and equality. Suddenly, I was learning words
that had been uttered in my friend group as I was growing up were racist or ableist, like the word "retarded." I began reading articles and
watching documentaries, not only on police brutality, but about a whole myriad of other topics, like what cultural appropriation is and why it is
harmful. I heard the word "Islamophobia" for the first time at a diversity conference. I discovered that I could be judgmental of other people,
especially women, and I began to unlearn some of the prejudice I had absorbed growing up. I attended the Women's March on Washington. I
participated in my school's severely underdeveloped club for diversity and worked to make it more active and educational. I learned that being an
activist
Get more content on HelpWriting.net