Social media serves as a powerful tool that helps people communicate with one another as well as learn of current events that are happening around us. Some may be aware of the issue in Brooklyn Tech and the hashtag that was created from it. This hashtag was created to reveal the unnecessary discrimination black students are receiving from teachers, faculty members and even their own classmates. I fully support this hashtag and believe black students from Brooklyn Tech and every where else can receive the justice they deserve. It it horrifying and disgusting seeing and hearing the comments students make about black people but even more so when teachers do the same. In my opinion teachers are supposed to help students and give them hope rather than putting them down. The reason many of us attend school is to learn and prepare ourselves for the outside world and learn to take care of ourselves. It is disheartening hearing the people who are supposed to support us telling us we are failures and will not become anything in the future regardless of what we do. I firmly believe that one should not judge another person solely on their race but of their achievements and the effort they put into doing anything. Everyone is equal and are entitled to the same rights, no matter what race ethnicity, gender or sex they are and I hope the black students of Brooklyn Tech will receive the justice they deserve.
More information about #BlackInBrooklynTech can be found in the link: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/blackinbrooklyntech-students-call-out-racism-brooklyn-tech-n494206
Another issue I feel strongly about is creating and enforcing more laws that prohibits smoking in front of children. I am aware that many people smoke and it is something very difficult to quit. However, smoking has consequences for the smoker and the people around them, There are many people who are exposed to secondhand smoking and it is not something they can avoid. However, it is unfair that because of the selfish act of one person many others must suffer as well. I have a friend who was exposed to too much secondhand smoking she developed asthma. It is ridiculous how others suffer because an individual can't control themselves. One can propose that you walk away when they encounter another person smoking, but it's not that simple. It's practically impossible to not be in an area where there is not smoking as the number of people who smoke is immense and everywhere. By creating and enforcing a ban on people smoking near children it can lower the chance of secondhand smokers inquiring health conditions.
An article that supports my stance is: http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/11/health/secondhand-smoke-teens/index.html
