Dear Ms. Adichi,
My name is Abdel-hamid Murci, a.k.a. A.B. I am an African American, who was born and raised in New York City, NY in the United States of America. Since I was about 17 years old, I have been a general labor worker jumping around from warehouse to warehouse, industry to industry. I have done jobs from fast food, to construction, to maintenance, you name it. Currently, I just enrolled into BMCC, a community college, located in New York City, NY as an attempt to see if I could maybe be able to advance my literacy, academic, and who knows maybe even social standards. The worst thing about a single story, in my opinion, is when you are someone who has no choice but to fit the description of a certain single story. After watching your TED talk on “The Dangers of a Single Story” I came to understand that a stereotype or a single story does not necessarily have to be directed towards a certain race, culture, or practice. I now know that a single story can set an off image even for an individual. For example, the stereotype where all good authors come from some sort of traumatic or harsh background. A single story could set a bar or standard for an individual or a peoples that may, most likely, do more harm than good. It is like the single story placed on Middle Eastern and Arab natives by politicians and major medias. After the horrific incident of September 11, 2001, medias and politicians in the United States of America started spreading a single story that anyone who is from the Middle East or considered Arab is a terrorist coming to spread more harm in a country like America. And because that idea was put on blast and repeated over and over again over national channels, it became the greeting image of Middle Eastern and Arab refugee or travelers. They would go through unjust treatments, such as, unnecessary checks and interrogations at airports, unjust treatment at work locations, children harassed by other children, and so on. Another time where a single story was at play, was when we got to learn about the African born or raised students struggle in the American classrooms. In this case, a single story is being placed on the set of standards on a students expectations in a classroom and how they are expected to all have the same characteristics or behaviors. Being African born or raised, you are taught growing up to always come of as a humble, respectful, quiet, and mature figure. But when placed in an American classroom, while everyone else might have things like yelling out answers, blurting out questions, or commenting on another students statement normalized or second hand nature to them, to an African born or raised student that is seen as disrespectful and disobedient. As an African born or raised student you are taught to never side comment, raise your hand before speaking, and like traits. After relating these past topics of discussions from my ACL 150 course, I can now agree even more with your beliefs on the dangers of a single story. Even during my many years in America, I grew up witnessing how just because someone is the color black, means that they are naturally always up to something. Just because they are black, they can not be behind the wheels of a luxury car. Just because they are black they can not be academically successful. And the list goes on and on. There has always been this single story of how black people are nothing but laborers if there is any kind of means of success in their life. Although it has minimized to some extent over the years, you can still see this from time to time.After listening to what you had to say about the danger of a single story, I now know to also be careful when looking at any one. It can be things we end up doing or assuming unconsciously just because that is all we were raised to know. I will make sure to complete understand the individual in front of me and get to know them for them first, and then learn about where they come from.
From,
A.B.
