Bridges of Understanding
Sincere relationships are the basis of closing the social divide between people and broadening multicultural understanding and creating pathways to unity. Being able to build bridges between friends of different racial and ethnic backgrounds is an essential skill that is often neglected. Genuine relationships allow us to be fair to each other, while in contrast, poor ones give us a biased perspective due to a lack of appreciation of other people and their cultures. 
In America, the two biggest minorities that wrongly face discrimination are those of African and Hispanic descent. Many times, these individuals are judged by stereotypes and crimes that they will often never commit, and this unfair characterization is often the reason for the lack of social peace and equality in modern society. Judging unique individuals without even having a bond with them is wrong; disregarding their unique backgrounds is divisive.
        As an Asian American growing up in the United States, I have witnessed firsthand racial discrimination both personally and from afar. These include my mother recently getting called out for being Asian and the entire race being blamed for starting Covid at a local Costco at the end of quarantine, my father growing up being called racial slurs every day of his childhood, being asked if I speak English when it’s my first language, and observing the worst of racial discrimination in cases like George Floyd.         
My personal view on individuals of different racial backgrounds comes from the fact that three of the biggest mentors of my childhood come from either Hispanic or African descent. Two of them were my recreational league and club basketball coaches for four years, and the other was my Taekwondo master for seven. From them, I learned the importance of family and friendships and these individuals demonstrated admirable qualities like persevering through adversity, the strength of getting back up when others hate you for being different, and a passion for bringing younger kids together by teaching sports and martial arts. They recounted how they were habitually excluded, harassed, and verbally abused when they tried to join athletic teams and participate in clubs, but they did not allow that to deter them. It was their hard work and grit that proved that they belonged and could compete in any team or club. I learned how to work hard and be diligent, and these role models showed me that even though I looked very different from them, I shared more inner beliefs than I could have ever imagined.
Along my journey of maturing into a young adult with my own perspective, people that are “different” from me have been some of the biggest inspirations for who I want to be when I grow up. Through the special relationships I built with people like my African American Taekwondo master who was like a second father to me, I was enlightened by the fact that though everyone looks different, there are great qualities that are commonly seen besides physical differences and anyone can learn a thing or two from someone else. Through other relationships with my Hispanic and African American basketball coaches, witnessed them bring people of all backgrounds to put differences aside for one purpose, to equally enjoy the passion of playing a competitive sport.
Even though there is much more diversity in America it’s still hard to make sincere relationships and bridge different cultures but that’s part of the challenge of creating peace. From personal experience, the joy and wisdom that comes from building good relationships are more than worth it and the reward of peace and equality for all is beautiful. My cousins are half German/half Asian and half Hispanic/half Asian, and it was illuminating to learn that although my cousins look way different than I do, we are still united as a family. This also translates to the whole human race as a whole in the sense that everyone is unique and different, yet at the same time, we all have so much more in common than we have in contrast. The path to unity is by accepting how we are all one big family on one giant planet. It is our duty to build difficult bridges and make the bonds no one else is willing to make. Peace begins with learning about new cultures and accepting differences and embracing commonality. Through bridging people together with unique relationships we can build a bright future of peace, equity, and fairness.