Author : Alexandria Traylor || thesouthernmuse.net
The millennial generation in America can boast about some unique qualities. We are the first to garner the power of technology to reach a global market. We are also the most diverse age group in the United States. It can be said that the millennial generation has enough power to influence the creation of a new rhetoric for our nation. When researching the definition of the word perspective, two meanings appeared. The first definition says, “a particular attitude towards regarding something; a point of view”. In regards to shifting the nation’s perspective, this definition did not do justice the heart transforming change that America needed. The second definition resonated with the finality of the type of change that is needed to permeate throughout a broken country. The second meaning reads, “the art of drawing solid objects … as to give the right impression of their … position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point.”
In changing a person’s perspective, the first step is to draw them in. Draw people of diverse backgrounds into your cause by proving to be an individual of great substance and character. Your character will speak for itself as well as for other blacks and minorities a like, ripping away biased stereotypes. Once you are able to harvest a sense of trust you can further draw others in by explaining what you stand for and why it is important to you as a member of the black community. In order to conquer and tear down racial boarders, we must pull from the strength of diversity. The future prosperity of the United States depends on our ability to become stronger as a nation in times of weakness.
It is our duty to open a lane for a new way of thinking for people with different perspectives than us. We have to give them access to understanding our impression of our position in relation to each other as citizens in this country. The way to grant access is by sharing our story and our sentiments regarding unjust treatment to all who will listen. This is where a bulk of the transformation will occur. It is not until one has viewed life from a different vantage point that the can begin to see the storm from the tip of the ice burg. In giving our impression, we also have to be open to dialogue, instead of a lecture. A conversation, back and forth, between two sides does not always have to end in an argument. Seek to have an educational debate wherein the two sides come to the conclusion of a growing understanding.
From this growth in understanding, you are able to help widen another person’s point of view from a particular vantage point. Just as a mother can grieve over another mother’s child, we have to be able to all be seen as children. We have to hold others accountable for regarding our lives as significant as theirs. Our significance should not be begged for, just as the influence of the African American culture in this country should not be ignored. We should be perceived as equals. Equality comes from understanding a relatable reality. You can only relate to another person’s strife by directly placing yourself in another’s shoes. This is why so many of our white friends have become increasingly sympathetic post the Dallas Police Department tragedy. When the two sides understand each other, is when efforts can be put into action for a transformation that will not only benefit one side or the other, but the entire nation.
The future does not have to be confusing. In the middle of chaos, we have the opportunity to discover and capitalize upon this idea of “change” that most people want to transpire. A perspective shift may not be the sole solution to racial inequalities in the United States, but it is the beginning. It is sad to see that the slaughterer will only listen when the slain slays. We cannot expect those with different realities to empathize with sentiments that they do not own. We have to embody the definition of perspective in order to effectively affect another’s point of view.
