Racism is a bigger type of bullying. I should know because I have dealt with racism in my own school, with a Hispanic girl saying the n-word to me and calling me a monkey in front of my face. It was a really crazy experience for me. But I am not only going to talk about myself. Racism is everywhere, not only in schools but throughout the United States, too. So let’s discuss it!
Racism is a problem with many different races. Black races, White races, Hispanic races, Asian races, and all different types of races. For example, according to an article on PBS.org, called “Racism in America,” on April 26, 2023, a 14-year-old boy named Ralph Yarl got shot and wounded by a homeowner after he went to the wrong home to pick up his siblings, also, according to the same website in 2022, where a 25-year-old man named Jayland Walker also got shot and wounded. Both of these men were shot and killed by the effects of racism, and no one should ever be treated like that. One more example: as described on the FBI’s “Famous Cases in History” website, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy, was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 by two white men for whistling at a white woman. What happened to him was called racial terrorism, which means an ethnic conflict between two or more ethnic groups. Nothing this bad should ever have happened to these people. Racism is a really bad thing that we are dealing with in the United States, and we have to change it somehow.
Now, let’s get into our solution to racism! According to UNICEF’s article, “Five Ways to Stand Against Racism and Injustice,” we need to listen to and amplify minority voices. We have to call out bigotry and hate speech. We need to teach our kids–your kids– about kindness, fairness, and human rights. Kids all over the world, including me, need to be treated with kindness and respect, not bullying, racism, or discrimination. We need to stand up for people being harassed, no matter what race they are. We need to help people, not only ourselves. Everyone in the world needs help. We also need to support human rights organizations. Voices of Youth recommends that we all take these five actions against racism:
- Listen and educate yourself
- Raise awareness
- Challenge everyday discrimination and racism
- Report racist or discriminatory content online
- Is your school or university against racism and discrimination?
We have learned about the effects of racism and how bad it can be. I am not going to let another Black kid or any other kid experience the same thing I experienced! We have to stand up and make a change. We need to put an end to racism, and we are going to do it now!
