Mya Whiles, a senior at Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill, is the winner of Seton Hall University’s 2020 Essay Contest: “Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment,” organized by the Catholic Studies Program. In response to the 2018 Synod of Bishops and the 20th anniversary of the Catholic Studies Program in the College of Arts and Sciences, Catholic Studies sponsors an annual essay contest that is open to all Catholic high school students in New Jersey.
Students were asked to answer the question: How does memory inspire and empower you to promote peace?
Mya entitled her essay “The color of peace.” It is printed below:
Peace has no color. That was my belief as a child educated in a Quaker school where pacifism was second nature. We learned “SPICES,” an acronym standing for Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship. Respect and compassion for all were standard dynamics, and the only differences that existed between my classmates and me in my mind were our varying interests. I believed that the world shared my mindset. My naive belief was shattered on February 26, 2012. That was the night that Trayvon Martin, who carried nothing more than an iced tea bottle and Skittles in his backpack, was killed. His death saddened and confused me. My young and idealistic mindset led me to believe that we lived in a post racial society, where unjustifiable violence like what had happened to Trayvon Martin no longer existed.
As I grew older, so did the number of victims of violence at the hands of those who believed that their lives did not matter: Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland and Alton Sterling. I carry their names and experiences in my thoughts each day. Many of their last moments were caught on film, and these memories still haunt me. I will never forget the talk my parents would later have with me in case I was pulled over by the police while driving. “Keep your hands on the steering wheel,” my mother instructs me. “Be respectful and always announce what you are planning to do if you must move your hands,” my father warns me. African American parents all over the country engage in these sensitive conversations with their children. We are taught to be respectful in order to avoid the grimmest consequence of racism: death. At the time I couldn’t understand why I would be perceived as dangerous simply due to my race. Peace had no color, but I discovered that racism did — red: the red of rage, the red of violence, and the red of bloodshed. I realized then that my life mattered no matter what others believed. From that point on, I became passionate about social justice in order to promote a world of peace, not injustice.
Injustices, like those faced by Trayvon Martin, that have happened and continue to happen are a result of the racist and inherently violent attitude that society has toward African Americans. The violence and ugliness of slavery never truly went away after Abraham Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation.” Jim Crow laws and the violent effects they had on society deepened the wounds of slavery from which America has never healed. Even the Civil Rights Movement that was led by the notoriously nonviolent Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., had its distinct moments of violence. The lesson I learned from the history of this country and of my ancestors is that we must heal, and healing requires peace.
Achieving peace is often viewed as unrealistic. I disagree. The necessity of peace that had been so clear to me as a child is real and has become more essential than ever. We have to understand each other and respect each other to have it, but peace is a necessity on which we cannot compromise.
There is a hopeful future ahead, if we are able to make peace a priority and see each other through a lens of love and not hate. Hope can heal our past and create a better future. I carry this belief into my work as a founding member of the T.H.E (Together Honoring Everyone) Council at my high school. Our mission is consistent with our name, and we believe in honoring everyone with the same respect, regardless of race, ethnicity, class or religion. We strive to promote and celebrate the aspects of humanity that make us different, while creating a safe space for dialogue and education. Education and dialogue are necessary steps to take in advancing toward the goal of peace. If we do not talk to each other, we cannot love each other as God intended.
My dream is to carry the peaceful mission of T.H.E. Council forward as a civil rights attorney to be part of this solution in obtaining peace. As a high school student now and as an adult in the future, I will work to achieve peace, no matter how elusive it may be, and in doing so, instill hope in the hearts of others, for if peace were to have a color, it should be the color of hope.
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