A family trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia is the most memorable vacation that I’ve taken with my family. Although we have visited many places in the United States including Austin, Boston, and Denver, this trip brought new experiences and fresh perspectives. We planned the trip weeks in advance and my children Adam and Eva were as full of excitement and anticipation as my husband and I.
Spending time with my children is very important and the trip was a new way to enjoy our valuable time together. Our ordinary routine includes working and going to school in a noisy, bustling, polluted city. This vacation provided the experience of quiet, peaceful nights, beautiful mountain scenery and lots of clean, fresh air. From start to finish, the vacation was a perfect way to connect with each other.
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Upon arriving at the cabin, everyone was stunned by its outside views. Our lodgings were completely surrounded by nature and being in that setting left everyone feeling renewed and refreshed. It was surrounded on three sides by tall oak trees, and gorgeous mountain ridges were clearly visible from each of the many windows. Porches wrapped around the building, giving us a private space to enjoy the outdoors. Each morning when we woke up, crimson red stripes appeared on the horizon. It was very humbling to be able to meet the first flashes of the new day.
Throughout our stay, we experienced the exquisite joy of hearing songbirds, the awakening of cicadas and sometimes the gentle patter of rain. Being enveloped in nature this way had a very calming effect on each of us, and even the children took the time to slow down and enjoy it. The sudden appearance of mushrooms in mornings after a summer rain brought me back to my childhood memories. I remembered casual walks with my late father in the forest and mushroom pickings with my sister. At nights that we watched movies, ate and played together showed me the importance of even day-to-day activities and their bonding effects over our family.
We visited Brasstown Bald, the highest point in the state of Georgia and one of many picturesque places for the family to visit that were close to the cabin. We set out on a pleasingly cool morning with relatively clear skies. We hiked to the mountain’s peak and were rewarded with a breathtaking, panoramic view. The observation deck had many maps, signs and interactive activities that the children were able to enjoy.
They were in awe of the fact that they could look past the horizon into other states. All of us were new to interacting with the many species of plants and wildlife that we encountered including wild turkey and rabbits. The fresh and verdant plants and thriving wildlife gave us a feeling of exhilaration and we could not wait to see what more the environment had to offer. Seeing my family playing, learning, sharing experiences and excitements was very fulfilling.
We took in the beautiful sights of nature as we boarded a restored freight train on a four-hour trip to Copperhill, Tennessee. In my mind train trips were always associated with the family. When I was growing up, we were frequently visiting my grandparents by train. I wanted my children to have the same associations as well. The excitement and nostalgia of traveling by rail were elevated as the winding journey brought us before spectacular views: green, rolling hills, and calm, clear waters. Copperhill is a small old-fashioned city along hills by the river and a quaint place for the family to eat lunch, shop for local crafts and walk across the town’s historic bridge to view the riverbank.
I was so happy to see my children laughing, smiling and enjoying ice cream. They were even more delighted to “be in two states at once,” and I took photos of each of them with one foot in Tennessee and one foot in Georgia. We stopped at a beautiful, 100-year old, family owned café, that had been refurbished with its original chandeliers. The welcoming atmosphere helped us to relax as we sampled some of their delicacies including coffee from a roaster in south Atlanta and freshly baked bread with locally-sourced jam. A full day of exploring left us happy and tired but even more excited for our next adventures.
We fully immersed ourselves in a nature expedition by exploring Ruby Falls. Accidentally discovered by an excavating team in the 1920s, they are the tallest and deepest underground waterfall in the United States. On our way to the falls, we passed mountains, scenic national parks trails, and bridges over fast-flowing rivers. To access the underground formation, we descended over 1000 feet by elevator to a cavern path where we were led on a guided tour by interesting and informative park staff. It was astonishing to see the stunning rock formations that took thousands of years for nature to create.
Walking through the caverns made us feel like we were in another world and we were amazed by the spectacular view of the waterfall deep inside the cave. Adam and Eva were excited to explore strange looking formations and asked many questions. To witness their growing interest in nature was amazing. As the lights illuminating the falls changed from blue to red to white, the natural atmosphere reminded us that our lives become more enriched by experiencing the wonders of nature.
The family trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains was an unforgettable experience. In addition to providing a break from daily routines and household chores, the peaceful setting allowed us to truly connect as a family. By forgetting about the small details that lead to worries in everyday life, we were able to truly enjoy this joyous time. We were not aware of what we had been missing in our lives, but we came back from the trip refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to live life to the fullest.
Police Brutality And Racial Profiling
If you were stopped by police officers and all they saw was your race, imagine how that would have felt. Sadly, this happens in the real world to people of color daily. Racial profiling is a controversial and illegal form of discrimination, where people are targeted for suspicion based on their race or ethnicity rather than on evidence-based suspicious behavior. Racial profiling is a common practice used by law enforcement agencies in the United States. It is based on the idea that individuals of certain races are more prone to committing crimes, so they should be targeted. According to Holmes (2020, p. 807), the relationship between police brutality and race is complex. There have been cases where officers who have killed black people have not been punished for their actions because they were acquitted or because their colleagues testified in their favor. As racism continues to be a problem, more and more people become victims of racial profiling. Racial profiling is unfair to anyone because every person should be judged on their character.
While there is a lot of talk about racial profiling and how it only affects African Americans, it can affect everyone, causing many negative consequences, including being stereotyped or treated poorly by law enforcement. Ideally, racial profiling is a problem that could be solved if people could judge others based on their personality than how they look. Airport security officials, police, and regular people discriminate, which is terrible for everyone, including the family members of someone profiled. While racial profiling might feel invasive to some, it is a proper precaution that does not replace traditional crime-fighting methods and increases crime prevention by using race to find criminals. Only in select instances is it alright to consider someone’s race as a factor in a criminal investigation (Seigel, 2017, p. 483). For example, if the police are looking to track someone down, they need to get a hold of an outward appearance with a report from another person, making it more manageable.
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Generally, racial profiling is when a law enforcement official suspects someone they have never seen before of a crime just because of their race which is morally wrong and illegal. The police might let real criminals get away while arresting or tracking an innocent person. There is not any evidence that racial profiling is necessary for airport safety. According to Brooks (2020, p. 241), using the “based on their physical appearance” method is impractical and cannot be used for an extended time like airport security. There are so many countries in the Middle East that it is not always easy to pick out who the person is that you are checking. Checking someone based on their look is not an effective way of keeping people off a plane, so it should not be done. Although African Americans have often been the subject of racial profiling, there is no way to assume that a whole race of people is guilty just because a group committed a terrorist attack years ago. Racial profiling can happen to anyone and is increasing in airports that excessively check people of Arab or Muslim descent. After 9/11, Arabs and Muslims have been kicked off planes and questioned at airports. They became targets of racial profiling in America because of their ethnicity or religion.
Racial profiling has threatened equal rights and civil liberties since 9/11 because of extra security measures to prevent terrorists from getting through. The Boston TSA’s behavior detection program confirmed that passengers are better served and safer by profiling based on race or ethnicity instead of national origin (Hosein, 2018). Black people, who are more likely to wear baseball caps backward and be assumed as illegal immigrants, are stopped. Police officers can also prevent you if they feel that the likelihood of you being a criminal is high, even if your ethnicity does not suggest this. Reportedly, an African American judge was driving without a seatbelt and was stopped by the UCLA Police on November 23 as he left a fitness gym. They attempted to use force he did not feel needed, and he filed a lawsuit for 10 million dollars. He claimed that he had been detained and handcuffed, then forced into the back of a car and locked inside for about an hour until a black sergeant arrived. One of the police officers pulled over, saw a man, and asked for his license and registration. He was trying to get it out of the car, but then they led him into a struggle, and that was when he was thrown against the other vehicle, injuring him badly. In this case, the man was presumed guilty, and these unprofessional officers had no business arresting him. Another reason why this appears to be an example of racial profiling is his age. He just looked too young to cross onto UCLA campus. Police officers would have assumed that merely looking at him would not require any force, but they used physical force anyway.
Racial profiling is not practiced only by police officers–it also happens at work and in your everyday life. It is essential to keep an eye out for this behavior as it leads to unfortunate consequences (UN News, 2021). Trayvon Martin was simply in his neighborhood when he was attacked. He had been dual housing the two-dimensional concept of black and white when a man shot him down. George Zimmerman, who was on duty as a neighborhood watch captain in a reasonably wealthy gated community, ended up shooting Trayvon when he saw him walking under a tree. Trayvon called 911 and waited for them to arrive. Unfortunately, the man did not follow instructions, and Trayvon died. One big problem is that George Zimmerman thought the person wearing a hoodie was dangerous because he was black. There is not enough information for a reasonable decision, and many people would disagree with his judgment. Many people think George Zimmerman was not guilty and may have self-defense as his motive. A history of violence seems to have already started, and the coming about of this trial could get Zimmerman in trouble again.
Ultimately, it is not only dangerous and uncomfortable to have a person follow you around or stare hard at you, but long term, it can also lead to some severe problems. It is not just an immediate problem; sometimes, things that do not appear like such a big deal become rather difficult in the long run. After someone has been told they are not good enough for so long that they start to believe it, it is probably best for them not to keep going down the same path. It is sad to see the adverse effects of racial profiling on individuals. Perhaps the best thing you can do is to take a few steps to try and stop it as soon as possible. Many people of different colors and backgrounds have the power to prevent racial profiling (Angus and Crichlow, 2018). Those with authority are responsible for helping make things better, while many average citizens can also contribute by speaking out against racial profiling when they see it happen. It is not fair or proper to make assumptions about people because of their race because it can cause damage that can follow them throughout their lives.
References
- Angus, J. and Crichlow, V. (2018) “A race and power perspective on police brutality in America,” FAU Undergraduate Research Journal, 7, pp. 8–8. Available at: https://journals.flvc.org/faurj/article/view/106404 (Accessed: September 9, 2022).
- Brooks, O. (2020) “Police brutality and blacks: An American immune system disorder,” Journal of the National Medical Association, 112(3), pp. 239–241. doi: 10.1016/j.jnma.2020.06.003.
- Holmes, O., IV (2020) “Police brutality and four other ways racism kills Black people,” Equality Diversity and Inclusion an International Journal, 39(7), pp. 803–809. doi: 10.1108/edi-06-2020-0151.
- Hosein, A. O. (2018) “Racial profiling and a reasonable sense of inferior political status: Racial profiling & inferior political status,” The Journal of political philosophy, 26(3), pp. e1–e20. doi: 10.1111/jopp.12162.
- Seigel, M. (2017) “The dilemma of ‘racial profiling’: an abolitionist police history,” Contemporary justice review, 20(4), pp. 474–490. doi: 10.1080/10282580.2017.1383773.
- UN News (2021) USA: Rights experts call for reforms to end police brutality, systemic racism, UN News. Available at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085872 (Accessed: September 9, 2022).
