by Ashley D. McGee

Though we are well into the twenty-first century, cultural and racial barriers for minorities in the United States are still being demolished everyday. Historical “firsts” by minorities in the U.S. are continuously being conquered and we have no other choice but to salute them.In the past four years alone, we have seen amazing successes from minorities.

No longer is coming from a low-income family or receiving a less than proper education reason enough to slip into the stereotypical roles set by closed-minded aspects of our society. In 2005, Condoleeza Rice was appointed our nation’s first female Secretary of State, Barack Obama was elected as our first African-American U.S. President in 2008, and I’m sure you’ve been just as excited as I have about our first Hispanic-American Supreme Court justice being sworn in over the summer (I am woman. Hear me roar!)

Recently, here in the belly of the Mobile Bay, we have been blessed with a femme-fatale first of our own. In the spring of this year, Jamie Ramseur became the first Hispanic-American to be selected as a Crewmate for the USS Alabama.

The USS Alabama Crewmates serve as ambassadors for the City of Mobile and the state of Alabama for a one year term. Each young woman receives a scholarship and makes over twenty-five appearances during her term throughout the Gulf Coast.

Ramseur, affectionately called “Jersey” by her Southern friends, has always been a young woman full of determination and fortitude, but she admits that she was unexpectedly nervous on the day of her Crewmate interview for a number of reasons.

“Although I was unsure whether or not my ethnicity would play a role in me getting the position, I knew that even if I didn’t make it, I gave it my all,” Ramseur says. “While the interview process was going on, all of the candidates waited together in a small room, where we were free to talk amongst ourselves. This was very uncomfortable for me because many of the other girls were giving me negative stares. I usually never have a problem fitting in or have problems talking to new people, but for some reason, I did that day,” she says.

When her name was called as one of 2009-2010 Crewmates, Ramseur said she was so surprised and excited that actually sat in her seat, looking around just to make sure that it was her name that had been called!

“I was overwhelmed…and very proud,” Ramseur says. Only two other African-Americans have held the Crewmate title before her (and I am delighted to have been one of them).

Ramseur, who chooses to fully embrace her African-American and Hispanic-American background, is a native of Neptune, New Jersey, and is a student at the University of South Alabama where she is studying to fulfill a career as a Special Education Instructor. In this capacity, she hopes she can continue to encourage young children to reach for their dreams.

“Becoming a Crewmate has made me realize that you should not conform and should always be an individual. ‘If you believe, then you can achieve’”, she adds.

Several things about my family’s heritage and our love-hate relationship with American history were made very clear to me at a rather young age. My mother once told me that even though she would always see my potential for greatness, unfortunately, I’d been born with two strikes against me. She said there were certain types of people in this world who would assume I was weak because I am a woman, and that I was unintelligent because I am an African-American. Therefore, I would always have to work just a little bit harder.

I, like Jamie, never saw this as a hindrance, but as a challenge; a call to action, one might say. Luckily, we are both very competitive in nature.

Stereotypes will always be there, but it is up to us to choose if we will allow those stereotypes to thwart our climb towards success. The Bible says in Philippians 4:13“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” As long as we keep our eyes on God we can accomplish great things. In all great achievements, someone had to be the first.