Dear America,
Growing up Black in America, I've sadly had to learn how to deal with this disgusting disease known as racism. I've been taught not to cause a scene in disparaging situations so that I am not viewed as the aggressor. I've learned to suppress my feelings so that I do not make others feel uncomfortable. I remember in 5th grade, all my female peers had a sleepover, and I wasn't invited. I thought that maybe it was because they didn't like me. However, I didn't know it was because of my skin color. When I arrived at school the next day, I found out my other peer, who just so happened to be Black, wasn't invited. It may not seem like a big deal to some people, but that small exclusion leads to many more. I have always gone to predominantly white schools, and I do feel excluded at times. There was a group of people who would call me names like darkie, black night, midnight, etc. It would hurt my feelings, but it was so normalized. If I showed that I was uncomfortable, I would be seen as sensitive.
My three years of middle school were definitely the hardest. The constant name-calling was frustrating and made me feel less worthy. I've recently finished my second year of high school, and it has been challenging. The majority of my friends support the president. However, I never had a problem with that because I didn't want to end years of friendships over different political views. Until recently, I never considered ending a friendship over a president.
My friends know that I'm pretty chill and that I don't involve myself in politics. But since the current president has been in office, the internal racism has been starting to show more and more in my daily life. I've had many friends make slavery "jokes" and call it dark humor. However, I'm not allowed to be offended because it's "just a joke." I'm not against educating others about modern-day racism, but I feel like we shouldn't be OBLIGATED or RESPONSIBLE for the undoing of someone else's ignorance. It gets very frustrating and stressful preaching the same things over and over for years upon years. It's disappointing hearing things like "racism will always exist, is in our nature" when racism is TAUGHT!
No one is born racist, and it's always the people who have never experienced racism, saying these triggering statements. We should be doing everything to eliminate the normalization of racism because there are so many people who are not afraid of being hateful towards a race.
People saying the rioting and looting are domestic terrorism and non-American, but won't admit that racism violates many parts of the U.S Constitution that clearly states everyone is equal. So, does this mean that racists are anti-American and should be hated just as much as many people hate the Black Lives Matter movement and people fighting for fundamental human rights and equality?
Thank you for being a part of the positive change and willing to listen to my story. I hope you all have a blessed day.
With Love,
Jazmine Elzey (16 years old)
Growing up Black in America, I've sadly had to learn how to deal with this disgusting disease known as racism. I've been taught not to cause a scene in disparaging situations so that I am not viewed as the aggressor. I've learned to suppress my feelings so that I do not make others feel uncomfortable. I remember in 5th grade, all my female peers had a sleepover, and I wasn't invited. I thought that maybe it was because they didn't like me. However, I didn't know it was because of my skin color. When I arrived at school the next day, I found out my other peer, who just so happened to be Black, wasn't invited. It may not seem like a big deal to some people, but that small exclusion leads to many more. I have always gone to predominantly white schools, and I do feel excluded at times. There was a group of people who would call me names like darkie, black night, midnight, etc. It would hurt my feelings, but it was so normalized. If I showed that I was uncomfortable, I would be seen as sensitive.
My three years of middle school were definitely the hardest. The constant name-calling was frustrating and made me feel less worthy. I've recently finished my second year of high school, and it has been challenging. The majority of my friends support the president. However, I never had a problem with that because I didn't want to end years of friendships over different political views. Until recently, I never considered ending a friendship over a president.
My friends know that I'm pretty chill and that I don't involve myself in politics. But since the current president has been in office, the internal racism has been starting to show more and more in my daily life. I've had many friends make slavery "jokes" and call it dark humor. However, I'm not allowed to be offended because it's "just a joke." I'm not against educating others about modern-day racism, but I feel like we shouldn't be OBLIGATED or RESPONSIBLE for the undoing of someone else's ignorance. It gets very frustrating and stressful preaching the same things over and over for years upon years. It's disappointing hearing things like "racism will always exist, is in our nature" when racism is TAUGHT!
No one is born racist, and it's always the people who have never experienced racism, saying these triggering statements. We should be doing everything to eliminate the normalization of racism because there are so many people who are not afraid of being hateful towards a race.
People saying the rioting and looting are domestic terrorism and non-American, but won't admit that racism violates many parts of the U.S Constitution that clearly states everyone is equal. So, does this mean that racists are anti-American and should be hated just as much as many people hate the Black Lives Matter movement and people fighting for fundamental human rights and equality?
Thank you for being a part of the positive change and willing to listen to my story. I hope you all have a blessed day.
With Love,
Jazmine Elzey (16 years old)