How my Road Trip to Rural America turned into a Race Revelation.

As a young American living abroad in Europe I occasionally have moments throughout the year where I fall into a deep longing to see my family and friends back home again. This usually leads me to sporadically and impulsively buy an airplane ticket to zoom over there. As much as I wish that I could visit my family as often as my little heart desires, I realistically end up going back home to see them, on average 2 times a year.

This time around it is Summer 2020 and I decided to come to see the city my brother now calls home, Boston, MA. As I’ve never been to the state before I thought it would be a great opportunity to discover a new city/area as well. It’s been a ridiculously hot summer and i’ve heard many countries are experiencing the same, the heat seems to get progressively more and more intense as summer rolls around each year.*cough*CLIMATE*cough*CHANGE.

So since the sun has been relentlessly beating down on us and these old apartment buildings in Boston don’t have A/C units installed. We were convinced a lake day would be the best cure. So we packed up our cooler with lots of ice, cool beers of course some snacks and BOOM just like that we were ready to hit the road! We drove for nearly 2 hours from Boston to a small rural area in New Hampshire to reach our desired destination: Lake Sunapee. An 8 mile wide lake with beaches on the shore.

I was drooling at the thought of bathing in the refreshing water in order to fight off the unbearable heat. The day that we decided to drive out of the city to enjoy mother nature’s sun was also the first time I had step foot into rural America since Trump got elected into office and since I was about 12 years old. That being said I was definitely in an environment that felt strange and widely unfamiliar to me. A couple of things that I spotted while being out there (in what felt like the middle of nowhere) really stuck with me. Making me reflect on the importance of tolerance and empathy towards all humans. You don’t see the connection between the two? Well keep reading and you’ll find out. I promise.

Starting off on our mini road trip we made our first stop at a quaint gas station. When I went to go pay for my banana and iced coffee, I surprisingly see that there are not one but several of Trump’s Campaign “Make America Great Again” hats for sale next to the register at check-out. Being that I had only ever seen Republicans flaunting these hats on my computer screen during Trump’s broadcasted rallies, left me with my mouth hanging wide-open. As I couldn’t interpret them in any other way than a big ‘ol slap in the face for any person of color who happens to ever walk into that store.

That leads me onto my second point, I saw not ONE person of color walking around, nor near the lake or in any of the establishments that we visited that day. It felt utterly unnatural to me, considering that pretty much all my life I was raised in or near big cultural hubs/ cities. And still to this day I live in one of the most diverse cities in the world. Therefore i’m typically used to being surrounded by people from many different backgrounds, countries and walks of life.

The last thing I noticed was how much property and land people owned in this small rural area. Acres and acres of land passed down from their ancestors, and I imagine they work very hard to maintain it. America has always been labeled as a very individualistic yet prideful country. In the land of the free, the amount of importance we put on owning lots and lots of STUFF goes to show that we label it high on our priorities list. Whether it be that new Gucci bag or latest iPhone. For these people, it was their land and property. I could tell just by looking at the beautifully striking red paint on their barns and farmhouses. All the way to their shiny white picket fences surrounding their colonial style homes. The little American flag attached to their glistening mailboxes that stood up perfectly straight. The amount of pride these people put into their land is clearly of utmost importance. With pride comes a sense of needing to protect what you have and in order to protect, shouldn’t there be some sort of defense system that comes into place? SILLY YOU that’s why we STILL have the second amendment(the right to bear arms) written in 1781 along with the rest of U.S consitution. Why, thank goodness I don’t know what we would ever do without it in the twenty first century. The fact that nearly 50% of Americans are in agreement of the second amendment and actively own some type of firearm clearly shows that there is a collective notion of fear that is not being outwardly and effectively spoken about in America. Instead this fear is being displayed as anger, and hatred towards people, cultures, religions, and lifestyles that they are obviously unfamiliar with.

The people that resided here seemed to be living in some kind of fairytale land… not in an idealistic or romanticized world. I say this rather just to point out that I perceived this way of life as…not real, not true. In a way unauthentic. To me life is about learning about the world and different environments around you, creating new experiences opportunities and goals for yourself, opening your mind, leaving your comfort zone, gaining new perspectives and so much more.

When these types of closed off communities and rural areas is what one has been raised in and this way of living and experiencing the world is the only thing one is familiar with. It is inevitable that new information, people, ideas and other lifestyles from the outside is going to seem not only unfamiliar but SCARY. This being where a lot of fear manifests in the first place. Not to mention the fact that media outlets and other broadcasting systems add a whole other layer to fear mongering in the United States of America. Just go watch our current presidents new campaign commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eniyb2wLrGs .

Overall I believe that other allies and/or POC have driven or will drive through rural towns like I did, see the confederate flag, see Trump’s merchandise being for sale, see and hear the sounds of shooting guns as people are ‘practicing’ their second amendment right in an outdoor shooting range. Not see one person of color which may lead to feeling unwelcome in these kinds of areas and shake their head disapprovingly. All whilst feelings of judgement arise towards the conservative crowd or this close-minded way of living. These are all valid ways to react but before the fear settles in and transitions into anger we must take into account that each change starts with an individual action or behavior. We have to sit down and put these emotions to the side and understand that these behaviors, ideas, and ways of living are instilled at such a young age. Taught in homes, and at schools, amongst friends and families. So instead of just shaking your head in a disapproving manner and getting angry like I initially was very tempted to do. Try understanding where they come from, and how we can do a better job in educating the next generation to being more tolerant, accepting and empathetic. Each one of us must even question, reflect, and perhaps work on resetting our very OWN prejudgements and conceptions we have instilled into our minds about certain people, cultures, religions, and communities. This already is a huge step into all humans becoming more of a family or team rather than fearful individuals and fending for our own good.