ANTI RACISM PLEDGE!

Hi! My name is Thomas Freedman. Throughout my entire life, I have been someone who has always hated racism. In todays culture, I believe that the use of the "N" word is something that should not be done. One night while at university, a visitor from out of the country was visiting my school, BYU. He knew English, and used the "N" word quite frequently. My roommate and I told him that the word should not be used, but he ignored our advice. Because I thought it was hysterically incorrect for someone to use this word, I took a video of him saying the word and was laughing in the video due to his ignorance pertaining to such an important and sensitive issue. I decided to post the video to Instagram with a caption stating "Swiss people have no idea what its like to live in America", basically stating his ignorance. After a few minutes of having the video up on a private Instagram account which my closest friends followed, I deleted the video due to the fact that addressing such a sensitive issue no matter your stance is something that should not be done. Months later, the video popped up on twitter without the caption, and was made to be seen as something as racist as possible. No one understood the context, and even I, someone who hates racism, was seen as a racist. It made me sick. Because of this experience, I have gained an even deeper hate for any use of the word, no matter the context. I have realized that if we want to end racism, we need to stop using the words, symbols, and signs affiliated with it. Just like the confederate flag or statues of civil war "heroes", the "N" word is something with a history that is discriminatory towards the African American race. Because of this experience and the growing hate that I have towards the word and racism in general, I would like to start a pledge. A pledge that if one signs, they promise to never be an advocate for the word, no matter the circumstance. I want to make a change. We need to all love each other!