Visual Advocacy Project

A classroom of students at the University of Michigan Dearborn.

Skin color doesn’t come between these friends.



There’s no “I” in team.

Fishing together

We all smile in the same language.

Love is blind.

Personal Essay
I started off with a picture from our school’s website that shows a group of students with many different skin colors working together in a classroom. I chose it because the University of Michigan Dearborn is known for its diverse population, one of the reasons I chose to attend.
The next picture is of two children who don’t let the colors of their skin get in the way of their friendship. Children are innocent and don’t judge others because they look different; all they see is a new person to get to know. If more adults would follow after their children’s examples there would be a lot less discrimination. Fortunately I think people are becoming more and more color blind when it comes to race and being open minded to seeing others for who they are. I took Psychology my first semester of college and in it I learned about the contact hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, if someone spends an extended amount of time with a specific type of person that they may have prejudices against their opinions could be proved wrong. By observing the group as a whole, it is usually discovered that most of them don’t fit in their stereotypes at all. I feel that if people work together toward a common goal they will be more likely to rely on their teammates no matter what race they are. That’s where the picture of the construction workers fits in. One of the men is White and two are Hispanic, but that doesn’t stop them from working together and getting the job done.
I went fishing today and couldn’t help but notice the diverse range of people. This project has opened my eyes to how much people actually mix. As we were walking by the dock we noticed a couple, a Black woman and a White man, fishing together. Of course I got my camera out and snapped a picture to help me prove my point.
Next is a picture of my Mom when she went to Minneapolis for a residency. She met all sorts of people from all over the world, and although not completely without prejudices, she made friends with all of them. She came home with a bunch of stories about her diverse experience and how they were all getting their PhDs. One of the friends she made was named Manuel. He was from Texas and didn’t speak very good English but she was drawn to him because of his sparkling personality. They fell in love regardless of their cultural differences and lived happily ever after.