Racism

      Racism is a big issue. Not just here, but also in other countries. It is a serious topic. Many people joke around by saying things like “that’s racist”. Racism doesn’t only apply to black people, it applies to all people of color such as Mexicans/Latinx and Asians/South Asians. Many people don’t understand how racism can affect a person or a community, which leads to a negative impact on the world.

      For example, the story of George Floyd. On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis Police Officers arrested George Floyd because a store employee called 911 and claimed Floyd had tried to buy a cigarette pack using a counterfeit 20 dollar bill. Seventeen minutes later George Floyd was pinned to the ground, unconscious between 3 police officers and showing no signs of life. George Floyd was a 46-year old male. He worked as a security guard and had a daughter, Gianna Floyd. She was 6 years old when her father passed away and is now 7 years old.

      This tragic story made people all over America speak up. His death triggered many Black Lives Matter protests and ignited rage across the country. People everywhere were protesting, causing fires, destroying buildings, and cars were getting lit up. 

     “At school, I hear a lot of kids using the word “racist” as a joke. But it is no joke. A lot of people have suffered because of racism, and their suffering shouldn’t just be tossed around. Words have weight, and some of us struggle to remember that.” A student stated after she heard other students using racist as a joke. “People have assumed my race many times and it’s really disrespectful when someone just assumes that I’m Asian and tells me where I’m from,” she keeps going. “People have also automatically assumed that I am an immigrant or wasn’t born here, even though I am fully American.” 

    It’s depressing to see that people are scared to speak out because of all the negative attention they might get or from people saying “Oh it’s always been like that”.

    Here is another example from a different student. “I have had a few racist acts committed to me for being Asian/bi-racial, and I didn’t really do anything. If I did then it wouldn’t help at all. One instance was where my family and I were sitting in our car when a drunk man came up to us, started banging on the windows, and yelling racial slurs. I couldn’t really do anything myself in that scenario. But it did bother me a bit, I guess. I am not sure how I coped with that though.” I used this example because I wanted to point out one thing; some people don’t care where you are or what you are doing, some will judge you. 

    I want people to know that they are not alone and that it’s ok to share stories with people you trust. Things like this happen all around the world, and if someone has been racist to you in any way remember to tell or report it to someone. Staying quiet does no good to anyone.

Thank you for reading my story.

-Melek Ahmed