Name:             Rayon Lambert

Topic:              BUS 311 Unit 1

Professor:        Brielle Buckler

As a minority, there are many things with which you must deal with. I have been discriminated against based on what people perceive to be my ethnicity. I have been argued with by Latinos that my parents did not teach me Spanish. I have been told that others have more rights than I have. The funny thing about this is that I am not a Latino; I am from the only country in South America which speaks English. These are some of the things customers had said to me. As a minority in the workplace, I have always felt welcome and comfortable. When thinking about how people have struggled and still struggles, I must thank people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s who has not only fought for women’s rights but the rights for all minorities. The right to be considered for work and have an equal opportunity just like every other citizen born in this country.

As an assistant manager in a predominantly white company, because of the work Mrs. Bader Ginsburg has done to change these laws has allowed people like me to obtain these positions. The ability to have equal and competitive pay and gain equal standards as people in the same company is one thing that I am grateful for. Being an immigrant and coming from a country where discrimination is very present in society today, and knowing that in places like government offices, a person can lose their job because of their ethnicity and color, makes me grateful for the opportunity to live in a place that there are laws against such treatment. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has helped in the changes which many people take for granted today. Also, the Employee Retirement Income Security has caused the company that I work for to have a retirement fund that I can put into towards that age of my second youth.

In the film “On the Basis of Sex,” when the depiction of the challenge Mrs. Ginsburg faced and how she was blocked from enrolling in Columbia because she was a woman helped understand the struggles minority faced when they wanted to educate themselves. Living in a time where the ability to enroll in college and gain a degree without the protest or rejection from peers or discomfort from the people around is so important for the forward movement of society. As I think of this, I have come to realize that I may not have been able to attend college if it was not for the work of many people who fought for civil rights, the inclusion of others, and the acceptance of all race to be people and not as one race and gender is superior to all. These fights are what have led people like me to own my own car. It has allowed me to sit anywhere on a bus, and it has allowed me to own things that bring me comfort not only for myself but also for my family. It has allowed me to live in a neighborhood that does not have any stigma, creating a disadvantage for my children and their future.

The film shows the legacy and that there are people who are willing to fight not only for themselves but also for the betterment of all the people of this nation. People who have fought for minorities, groups who had their voice unheard for many years. With this, I will say thanks for the hard work.