Respect

Justice has always been an important thing for me. When I was little, I remember seeing events and situations and exclaiming to my parents, "But that's not fair!" I'm always interested in how societies treat minorities because the way a society deals with minorities says much about their sense of justice. Also, I think being a moral person means you treat those minorities with respect, even (and especially) when it's not the norm.

"The Help" is a book set in the early 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi. The author, Kathryn Stockett, shifts the narration between a white, wealthy woman, Skeeter, and two black maids, Aibileen and Minny. It is a fascinating and eye-opening read, especially the narration by the maids. I cannot imagine a world where some members of our society have different bathrooms, water fountains, and hospitals. How would you explain this to a child? But I know these things existed and not that long ago. I loved the description of Aibileen's relationship with her employer's daughter and the relationship between Skeeter and the maids.

I hope that had I lived in those times, I would have acted like Skeeter did in the book. That I would have seen injustices and had the courage to speak up. I wonder what injustices are going on now and why am I not speaking up?