Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition

As a teenager in 1960s Hollister, CA with colloquial Spanish as her only language, my grandma was abruptly thrown into an English-only secondary school. It was there she learned to tamp down her first language, and smooth it over like it never existed.

“According to the Black and Missing Foundation, 9 out of ten children of color are reported as runaways, that means only one out of all 10 are reported and people are alerted about.”

While significant progress has been made, many hurdles clearly remain to be overcome. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing racial group in the U.S., yet their political representation does not reflect this growth.

I am beyond eager to see what this summer has to offer both me and ARCC. My hope for this summer is this crew of interns and passionate staff makes this organization something bigger than any of us could imagine.

“Do you think a Black person can be racist to a white person?”. This is a question that fascinated me during my freshman year of college.

“Don’t let anybody, anybody convince you this is the way the world is and therefore must be. It must be the way it ought to be.” These simple yet impactful words by Toni Morrison from, The Source of Self Regard perfectly, yet plainly depict the convictions of those on the mission of committing to anti-racist advocacy.

As an Emory student, healthcare has been at the forefront of my mind regardless of how seemingly removed my endeavors are from the field. So when I first came across ARCC’s blog post on medical racism, it immediately piqued my interest.

Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, the son of an educator, I have seen firsthand a system ravaged by underfunding, prejudice, and racism. But ARCC gives me hope. This kind of movement can change the future, not just locally, but across the nation, and the world.

In his 1955 collection of essays, titled Notes of a Native Son, James Baldwin states “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” This quote has given me faith and drive since I heard it first, in my 8th grade Social Studies class, in video clip form.

Despite significant progress, systemic racism remains deeply entrenched in American society. The Black Lives Matter movement, ongoing protests against police brutality, and disparities in healthcare, education, and economic opportunities all point to the persistent inequalities that undermine the ideals of July 4th.