Are we forgetting what's important?

At the opening ceremony of the Tangier Model United Nations conference this past Friday, at the UNE Tangier campus, I sat in the back of the auditorium while I listened to this man's story. His words stung as they echoed through the room. After a long week of discussions about racism and discrimination with many of my close friends, Chris's story went straight to my heart.

To know that someone who spent his life studying with dreams of making it to Europe for work, is stuck in Tangier with absolutely nothing, is heart-breaking. Of course, after living in Tangier for just under 10 months, I see beggars on the streets daily. In all honesty, I'm sure I've seen Chris before, and ignorantly turned my head and kept walking. Thanks to a kind teacher at The American School of Tangier who stopped to give Chris money and ask his story, we know Chris is just another human just like us, who has been dealt an unlucky hand of cards. We know that he is not out walking for drug money, we know that he's not a "bum"; rather he's a strong man with a big heart, who is just stuck. People with stories similar to Chris are often stuck in Tangier. They can't leave to get to Europe- they've been swindled. They can't go home- they have no passport. They can't work because they are "Africans". These people have spent their life-savings trying to accomplish a dream, and end up trapped.

It's time for this generation to open their eyes. Racism is still so real. I see it everyday. I see discrimination based on the color of one's skin, in ways that offend me personally and offend my friends. I am Caucasian. I have fair, freckly skin. I burn when I spend too much time in the sun. My family comes from Ireland, England, Scotland and Sweden. Just because I am WHITE does not mean I deserve special treatment. It does not mean that I am better than anyone else. It does not mean that I have more money or intelligence than other people. The color of my skin is genetics; it's the science of how much melanin my cells produce. The color of my skin doesn't determine who I am. Under my skin I am just like every other human being on this Earth. I am an American. Just because I live on the other side of the world does not mean I am ignorant, it does not mean I am islamophobic, it does not mean I only care about money and partying. To me, being an American means I've grown up surrounded by people with different backgrounds from me, people with different color skin, people who speak different languages, people who eat different food. Being American means I have family and friends from all over the world. It kills me when I go out to a club or a bar, and am welcomed in with smiling faces and no cover charge, but my Moroccan friends- those with darker skin- are told they need to pay for a ticket, or aren't allowed in at all. It kills me that Moroccans look at people with black skin as “Africans” when we are all living on this continent, together. It kills me that after being in a taxi I will be asked to pay double the amount a Moroccan will be charged. It kills me that walking through the medina people will raise the prices of things, because they assume I come from money and can blow my extra cash on Moroccan artifacts. Being an American does not mean I am rich and was handed everything in life, but rather that I've worked for what I want and am privileged to have traveled as much as I have. The truth is, no matter where on this Earth you live, no matter what language you speak, no matter what color your skin is- we are all human beings. We are all just mammals; we all have a heart that pumps our veins full of blood, a brain that controls our every movement, and nerves that run from our toes to our fingertips. We all feel pain and hunger, sadness and happiness, love and hate.

The color of Chris's skin should not prevent him from working, should not prevent him from getting home, and should not prevent him from getting the chance to share his story. I hope everyone takes the time to watch this video and listen to Chris's story; I hope everyone opens their eyes to how real problems such as racism and immigration are today, in 2015, when we think of these things as an issue of the past.

Check out Chris's story here! <--- :)