Title
Document Type
Identity and Culture
Publication Date
2022
Abstract
The purpose of this poem was to bring awareness that racism isn’t in the past. The popular stereotype that “black people are aggressive,” influences the ways in which the United States has treated the Black community. They try to communicate their needs and concerns in a calm and well-mannered tone, leaving them with the same problems. Before they speak, they are labeled as “a danger to society,” and excessive force is used. When they tried to stand up for themselves, they ended up in jail, dead, or in the hospital. Burse also wanted to make are of the “School-to-Prison Pipeline.” People aren’t aware that some public schools track students with low reading and writing scores to calculate the estimated number of people most likely to go to jail or prison in the future. The schools that are overcrowded, low funded, low-income, and their students are predominately people of color. For racism to end, as a society we must come together and be aware of the biases within society, the system, and individuals.
Recommended Citation
Burse, Sarah, "Excuse Me" (2022). Race, Gender, and Sexuality Symposium. 1.
https://aquila.usm.edu/rgss/1