racism | Teen Ink

racism

February 26, 2024
By Anonymous

“I have a dream” did that speech mean nothing to the world? The world has changed but not enough. 

I’ve lived in many places such as Philadelphia, Massachusetts, Connect, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin. Certain schools were more diverse than others such as when I lived in Philadelphia. As someone with Asian roots I never really felt different because most were inclusive and there was lots of diversity. Feelings started to change in that perspective for me when I moved to Wisconsin. The schools I went to were the majority of white students. There is nothing wrong with that it was more the attitudes some students had towards anyone who wasn’t white. When I first moved to Wisconsin at 11 years old, I was asked by many of my classmates for the n-word pass (permission to say the n-word so people don't get upset with them.). To me that was a switch from past experiences to see that some of these white students first of all wanted to say the n-word so badly but even worse they went to the extent of asking me for the pass and ignoring my answer of “no” and saying it anyway. These kids would go around calling me the n-word but also using it as an insult to others. I went to a middle school of about 500 kids and to my knowledge there wasn't a single black person in my school. This just goes to show that the world has changed but we still have a long way to go as a society. The world has changed some, but we still need to grow as a whole. 

The constant thought in my head is who raised you when people say these unbelievable things? A vivid memory I have is when I went to a track meet at another school where most of the kids were not white and a girl on my team said, “I feel bad for all of these kids they are probably poor” I looked at her and said “You are not allowed to say that” and she laughed. She looked at their skin color and immediately felt sorry for them; she looked at them and thought they were dirty and poor. What has our world come to? 

People also have trust issues when it comes to people of other races, mostly black people. A stereotype is that black people are sketchy. I know many people who refuse to be friends with or date black men because they are worried for their safety, however in reality people are “sketchy” wherever you go so you can’t just put a label on a certain group of people and be scared of them. So whenever you think about judging someone first pause and see them for who they are. A human, we all are so don’t let stereotypes hold you back from someone who could be an amazing person. Yes, the world has changed but have we? Will we? 

We can solve discrimination by digging down to the roots of how children grow up. If you grow up with parents who are non-judgmental and teach quality you are way more likely to practice this yourself. Vs. being raised in a household with discrimination and stereotypes being taught. We can change the way we treat each other. The world will change. 



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