Student Corner: Let's Talk about Racism in School
The authors of this article are middle school students Fernanda Pinho Chagas, Layla Pasquini, and the Mission Hill Black Student Union.
What is Microaggression?
At the Anti Racism Warrior event on February 1st, we were introduced to the concept of Microaggressions. What they are, how they affect people, and how to deal with them. But what we do not talk enough about was how they take place in schools as well.
As a kid from a white, privileged family, this topic blew over my head. Once, in 6th grade, I told my friend Amara Anderson "just how lucky we are that in school, we are safe from racism." so she had to very patiently point out to me exactly how ridiculously wrong I was.
This is the topic that we want to bring up. The fact that our school is predominantly white and how this is affecting the black students in OUR schools. So, my fellow reporter Zuki and I sat down with Mission Hill's own Black student's union to shed light on the Microaggressions specific to race experienced in our school.
Kiauna Day Smith, head of the BSU, tells me how a Microaggression is not different from an act of racism but is a FORM of racism.
"I think a Microaggression is when someone is being unintentionally being racist, while acts of racism are intentionally racist," says MaaNgala, a student in the BSU.
Fernanda, another student in the Black students Union, gives a perfect example of a microaggression. "When people are trying to be fun, or trying to talk in rapper accents… it is really weird when someone starts using an accent of how other races usually talk," she says. "Just like, teachers making little comments, or talking in an accent, and certain costumes with afro wigs.."
"Microaggressions still hurt," Fernanda says, "If it is an act of racism that is openly racist and they are actually trying to be hurtful, that's really bad, but, it is also bad when someone is being hurtful and they don't even know."
If Kids are being treated adversely because of the color of their skin, do you think that things will work differently when we are all adults?
How do Microaggressions take place in school?
Microaggressions in school are more common than you think. It can vary from touching hair to imitating certain accents. People used to chase me around and touch my hair and not touch my white friend’s hair. It made me feel like I was different from everyone else in a bad way.
Microaggressions happen to other minorities and groups! For example, Layla brought up how some white women think they have suffered as much as black people because they are women and compare their struggles. I think minorities need to stop comparing their struggles and come together!
Another thing I would like to talk about is cultural appropriation. The dictionary definition of cultural appropriation is:
“Cultural appropriation refers to the use of objects or elements of a non-dominant culture in a way that doesn't respect their original meaning, give credit to their source, or reinforces stereotypes or contributes to oppression.”
I think cultural appropriation focuses less on objects and more on styles.
Some examples of cultural appropriation are when a person who isn’t part of black culture wears a traditionally black hairstyle such as box braids is called “trendy.” This is so controversial because when black women wear protective styles to work, they are called unprofessional and “ghetto.” While when a white person wears braids they are called creative and cool.
I think these biased views on the way people wear their hair are very unfair and frustrating.
Intersectionality
Living a the intersections of overlapping systems of privilege ad oppression.
People living at different levels of discrimination even though they are at the same financial height and are both women, one might be white and straight and the other person might be black and transgender.
Someone can experience homophobia and racism at the same time.
Being white will always protect some from race discrimination, but if they are a woman, they will not be protected from gender discrimination and if she is poor, class discrimination.
Someone might be a feminist wcih supports women, but they can also be racist wich hurts another group of people. So, are they a good person fighting for a good cause? Yes and no.
All women do not undergo the same level of discrimination just becasue they are women. There are many other factors that go into someone's identity.
TED talk about intersectionality. < - Really good you should definitely watch
Conclusion
So why bring this all up? If all schools were perfect and all kids were treated perfectly, this article would be pointless. But, the thing is, this article is MORE than necessary. We have to understand how kids are being treated differently because of the color of their skin!
In the introduction, I asked a question, If Kids are being treated adversely because of the color of their skin, do you think that things will work differently when we are all adults? The answer is no. same goes for all different groups (See the women’s history month article on intersectionality) that are mistreated.
“ I am not sure what the next step is but I feel like a step, in general, is responding to people and telling them that it is not OK,” says MaaNgala, “and actually in-class, teaching what a microaggression is and how to avoid making one,”
I could not agree more with MaNgala. Instead of letting kids “figure things out on their own,” we should be teaching these things in the classroom. We talk about women’s rights all the time, but when we talk about racism in the classroom, it feels like we use the word “racism” as a past tense.