Diversity In American Son

Not only are films entertaining, but they can have a crucial impact on society. Films can educate one's life by shining light on the political issues in society and struggles individuals face on a daily basis. A film that has a strong dialogue has the ability to open the audience's eyes to look at the world in a different perspective. The film American Son will take the audience on an emotional rollercoaster and feel an intense amount of sadness. The film demonstrates diversity, stereotypes, and finding one's identity.

American Son illustrates that being different is normal, labels do not define who one is as a person, and the importance of finding oneself. In society today, individuals have a sense of pressure to be a version of their parents.

Jamal goes to a private school and he is the only African American at his school. This causes Jamal to feel isolated and alone from his classmates. “Because all of his white friends think he represents the entire race” (American Son 54 - 54.08). Due to Jamal being the only African American at his school, the other students think that every African American is similar to him. An individual of a different race does not represent the race as a whole. In addition, if there was a diverse set of students, Jamal would feel more comfortable because he would have someone he could relate to. In today’s society it is difficult for individuals to be accepted if one is a different ethnicity. It is not fair to judge another person based on the color of their skin because that individual had no control over their race. No matter what race another individual is, that does not affect who that individual is as a person. Everyone has the same amount of bones on the inside, regardless of how they look on the outside. The world needs a diverse set of people because if each person was the same, there would not be different opinions or ideas. Therefore, it is important to be different because diversity helps create change, growth, innovations, and solutions. If individuals were more accepting of others and worked together, the world would be a better place. This would have a positive impact on technology and a different perspective

Officer Larken asked Jamal’s mother, Kendra, if Jamal had any priors, trespassing, street names, and gold teeth. “Not even a trespassing or resisting without, petty theft?” (American Son 7.10 - 7:40). Officer Larken did not believe the mother when she answered no to all of these questions because he was being prejudiced. In addition, the questions that Officer Larken asked were irrelevant and would not have been asked if the individual was caucasian. Stereotypes are a form of a label that can be used in a negative way to describe a person. A person should never be labeled due to their race because that does not define who that individual is. No matter someone's race, that person is unique in their own ways. For instance, each individual has different values, beliefs, goals, and characteristics. One can label another person with a stereotype, but that stereotype will not be accurate because each person has their own personality. It is important to not label an individual by the way that person looks. Labeling an individual can affect getting to know who one is as a