Reflection Paper

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I come from a household that watches the news often. It was a pattern that was embedded in our lifestyle when my family first fled famine and civil war in Somalia to come to America. Constantly being exposed to the news trained me to notice trends. One of the trends that I noticed was the unfair and dominant role race played in the criminal justice system. Although slavery was abolished with the thirteenth amendment. Many in America still believe that race does not play a prominent role in government, evident in the election of Barack Obama as president. However, the government still uses race as a justification for discrimination, which causes social animosity towards criminals. America’s current justice system allows for legal discrimination …show more content…

I hope to gain the necessary skills to pursue my dream of using the legal system to end racial inequality in the judicial system. Although I’ve served as an activist in my community regarding police violence against minorities, I believe that I can do more. Activism is great to raise awareness and to keep people informed in subject matters that are difficult to talk about. However, I believe that in order to create a real difference in the criminal justice field change must occur from the inside. According to the American Bar Association, 88% of all lawyers are white and only 4.8% are black. I believe that with a more diverse judicial system, criminal cases involving minorities well result in more fair trials. I also believe through a more fair judicial system the gap between racial and economic disparities amongst racial groups well improve. My desire to become a lawyer is further intensified due to other prominent black lawyers in America. These lawyers include U.S attorney general, Loretta Lynch, and her predecessor Eric Holder. I am also further inspired by Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby who secured the indictment of six police officers involved in the death of Freddie Gray. I hope to become a trailblazer like these lawyers in the future so that I too can create my own legacy in the law field. Furthermore, by attending the TRIALS

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