Stereotypes In African American Films

At breakfast during my two-week study trip to Ireland, a man found out I was from Atlanta, Georgia. Unexpectedly, he told me that I did not sound like a black southerner. He then demonstrated in a southern accent: “Hey man, ain’t y’all ready?” In that moment, I explained to him that not all southerners sound the same, nor do all African-Americans sound the same. Films do not represent Americans, yet some, though not all people outside the U.S, still use the stereotypes within films to do so. Due to the media’s portrayal of Americans, this is how some in the world see me as a black southerner. Likewise, I may also view Spain differently because of Spanish Cinema’s portrayal of their society. I am willing to have conversations about misunderstood

I am an advisor for the Assistants under me as well as my residents who live on the hall. I try to make the hallways a home away from home. Unfortunately, some international students haven’t been home since their arrival on campus. Two residents, one from Korea, the other from Germany, came to me about homesickness. I empathized with them because I also have experienced homesickness since my college is a completely different environment than my home. I gave them advice on how I adjusted to the difference. At the end of the semester, the Korean student gave me traditional chopsticks and the German student gave me German cookies. Moments like this show me that although we were from different cultures, we were still able to make a connection with each

One of my first mentors was a medical doctor and a professor, Dr. Lee. I thought doctors only focused on Medicine. Yet, Dr. Lee took each shadowing opportunity to teach either a medical school student, or myself, making sure we learned about any diagnosis or disease she gave. In a similar way. She also taught her patients about the disease they had so that they could better understand. With Dr. Lee, I also saw how important it is to have a second language. During my shadowing, there was a patient who only spoke Spanish. The patient kept saying “dolor dolor”, while pointing at her stomach. I had to tell Dr. Lee about the pain she was having. Being able to translate this conversation from Spanish to English helped in that situation. I hope my time in Spain will aid in refining my communication skills and my foreign language proficiency, both of which are becoming more of a need in my chosen profession in the U.S.

With a Fulbright ETA fellowship, I hope to be a representative U.S. American who educates people about the difference between what they see and what is real. I defy stereotypes by being a mentor, teacher, and future doctor, who can engage in two-way cultural