Hello readers, 

  In my ASTU class, we recently began discussing a narrative called Persepolis, written by Marjane Satrapi. Persepolis is a graphic autobiography that recounts the story of Marjane’s life from her childhood through adulthood, and depicts the struggles she faced during the Iran-Iraq war. Early in the novel, Marjane along with the other young girls in her class, are separated from the boys and forced to wear veils.This is one of the first experiences Marjane recalls being personally and physically affected by the political unrest in her country. During my ASTU class, Professor Lugar went over this part of the novel and briefly brought up the veil. The moment where the veil is forced upon Marjane is significant and sparked my interest. That oppression, experienced by Marjane, is an example of something that people in societies across the world have had to fight against, and continue to fight against. As a biracial male growing up in California, I had a unique opportunity to observe oppression based on socio-economic status and ethnicity.

    Despite the experiences of some others, my own experience of growing up biracial in a predominantly white neighborhood was rather pleasant. I did not feel out of place, and I did not feel put down or oppressed by any other friends, teachers, or students throughout my elementary and middle school education. When I made the choice to attend an all-boys private high school called De La Salle (made up of predominately affluent white males), I was nervous. However, unlike Marjane’s school, which in her case acted as an oppressive force, I was told that my new high school worked diligently to do the opposite. De La Salle gives out scholarships to diverse students from lower socio-economic areas in an attempt to break the cycle of oppression felt in certain communities. The movie, When The Game Stands Tall, directed by Thomas Carter, for example, tells the true story of a De La Salle football player named Terrance Kelly. Terrance was given the opportunity to attend De La Salle on a full scholarship, in an attempt to get him out of the oppressive, ghetto community he lived in. De La Salle pushed him in his academics and in his sports, and he eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Oregon to play football. However, months before graduating high school, Terrance Kelly was shot and killed near his home picking up his younger brother up from a party.

    The reason I bring up this tragedy is because it shows how difficult it is to completely break a cycle of oppression once it has begun.  Despite Terrance being provided academic and athletic support systems, life tools for success and an opportunity to physically leave his poor neighborhood and attend university, he still violently lost his life. Marjane, on the other hand, was lucky enough to eventually leave Iran in that time of oppression. Even though things were not always easy for her when she left, she was able to break that cycle that started the first day she was forced to wear the veil in class. She was able to liberate herself to become relatively free. People have been oppressed for centuries, and even though there are many great organizations, schools, and people trying to end that cycle, it is not a quick or easy fix. There is no direct resolution to this issue, but I believe it needs to be given continued time, effort, and patience in order to lessen or resolve it. In the meantime, raising awareness and stimulating discussion through books like Persepolis can be a good start.