The definition of proud according to Dictionary.com is, “having, proceeding from, or showing a high opinion of one's own dignity, importance, or superiority.”

Three minutes till class, the bus is full due to the weather having multiple personalities this week and today it decided to be freezing and windy. Another girl and I dash in the cold. I’m glad to escape the crowd in the bus but now I’m speed walking to my next class. I look up and see the girl’s back and her shirt says “Black Student Alliance.” As I keep walking to class this phrase is being tossed around in my head. I first wonder about what would happen if a white student wore a “White Student Alliance” shirt. I thought about the looks that person would get and what people from other racial groups would say or probably do. And then my next thought I went to is why should anyone be proud of their race? Why should white people be proud to be white? Why should black people be proud to be black? The more I thought about it the more I believed that no one should be proud of their race, not a single person.
I feel like history has presented numerous instances of how pride can ruin different racial groups. One example of this is when Hitler had pride for being a “true German” and how this idea created an extermination of what he considered “unfit.” The same thing goes along with the “Trail of Tears.” The white settlers thought they were superior to the Indians and this, along with others, was one of the reasons why they forcibly move the Indians to the west. No one should think they are better than the other. Not only has this caused warfare and injustice, but it also keeps a country from growing. An example of this is The Civil War. It held Americans back by putting them in more debt and they became vulnerable to other attacking nations. Instead of using that time to grow politically and become a strong, unified nation, differences in ideas on races broke the nation a part. In order to create pure equality for the sake of self-growth and self-preservation, we must get rid of the idea that one person is better then the other due to the color of their skin.
It’s not just about a person looking down on a racial group; it’s about that same person looking up towards another. People don’t realize this creates racism. Being prideful in your own race is subconsciously looking down on other races. This is clearly stated in the definition of racism: “A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.”
I’m not saying you can’t be proud of your country or where you are from or even your culture. But all of these things don’t make up your race. Race is just a pigment in your skin. Your country and culture is your choice of where you live. I believe it is okay to say, “I am proud to be an American,” because one chooses to be an American every day and they choose to stand up for their country and its general beliefs. It is okay to be proud of your culture. Culture and race are two different things. One can have the same background as another but not share the same race. Having pride in your culture does matter because your culture affects who you are. It is an important element in keeping close to your family and country. This also distinguishes who you are and makes all of us different from each other, not based off of what we are born with but what we decide and know.
Really question yourself and others around you about whether being prideful about race is right or not. I noticed the problems it has caused and the lack of good it has created. It continues to affect my generation today like it has affected humanity in the past. I believe if people don’t become aware of this then we will continue to live in hostility and repetition. In my opinion, knocking racial pride out in our generation is the next step to ending racism. Ending this comes down to people accepting each other for who they are. But if we can’t accept each other over something we can not control, how will we accept each others ideas, opinions, religion, morals, sexuality, and rights? We are all one; we are all humans trying to achieve the same goal…happiness. Why continue the separation? I believe unified through acceptance we can reach happiness and peace in the world.