Megan learning about inequalites in the US prepares for better understand of South Africa

The pre-departure course taught me a lot. One of the most helpful things it did was just slowly prepare me to be in a place so different from Connecticut and focus my mindset. One specific thing that I think is extremely helpful which I learned was about racism in the United States. Just yesterday, my mom asked me a question that I found honestly hard to answer. She asked, "When you go abroad, will you defend America or criticize it?" I had no response. After watching many of the TedTalks that we watched for our discussion boards, and videos like "How We're Priming Some Kids For College," and especially the movie "White LikeMe," I began to question more deeply racial structures within the US.

     Although I was aware of racial inequity in my country, I didn't become exposed to the specificities of things like the prison-industrial complex and ingrained structural discrimination until classes I took this semester, including the pre-departure course. I think being aware of these issues and being more acquainted with their prevalence in my own country is extremely important for going to South Africa. It is a country that has seen a vast amount of racial violence, injustice, oppression, triumph, and more. Being that I am a privileged, white American, I think being in touch with similar instances in my own country will help me to learn about South African history in a different light while I am in Cape Town.

     To my mother's question, I think it is more complicated than just "defending" or "criticizing." I think I will have a combined response, similar to many South Africans when they think back on their countries history. I will not defend my country's brutal history. I will not defend our brutality abroad, nor will I defend the rising amount of racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia and xenophobia that is still present in our legislation and our citizens. However, I am proud of the battles some citizens have fought: the Civil Rights Movement, the Gay Rights Movement, the Women's Rights Movement(s), the Black Lives Matter movement, and many more efforts American citizens have made to ensure justice and equality in America. I am very happy the pre-departure course has helped to widen my view on the answer to this difficult question, and I think I will continue to learn my answer to it while in Cape Town.