As you walk through the halls of Saline High, you’re greeted by predominantly white faces, white staff, and white teachers. Ask any student who has moved to Saline from another school, and they’ll tell you that this is our reputation. Unfortunately, this lack of diversity negatively affects minority students. Navigating through a white society, these students can be the subjects of racism, microaggressions, and racial profiling by their own peers.
I can vividly remember sitting in classrooms surrounded by white faces learning about racism. Looking around, I realized I was the only person of color in the room, despite being half white myself. The teacher at the front of the room described things “we would never understand,” referring to the entire class’s whiteness. Although these statements seem like small, innocuous acts, they stick. They can invalidate a person’s identity and make them feel more isolated. This creates a dangerous dynamic when students of color try to get the courage to speak up on topics of racism, knowing that they’re either the only or one of the only people in the room to experience the feeling of being subjected because of skin color. Being in an almost all-white classroom can cause minority students to feel the extent of their “otherness.” Without students of color speaking out about racism and their own racial experience in the classroom, there will never be the education needed to change our racially divided society and create a more inclusive and socially aware school that benefits everyone.
As a biracial student with lighter skin, my negative racial experiences are fewer and farther between than many students of color. To many on the outside, explicit racism may seem like a thing of the past. It may seem like students of color only deal with minor inconveniences such as racial jokes or insensitive comments, but this isn’t the case. There are many students who deal with overt racism and bullying within our own community.
I do believe that Saline has the potential to be more aware and educated. The school is slowly moving away from the issues it has had with racism. There are many programs that teach students to be better allies and more socially aware of the negative effects of racial profiling, stereotyping, and prejudice. In classes like Race and Ethnicity in America, Mr. Brian Lampman teaches students how to be anti-racist in our current culture and why we should actively fight against racism. There is also UpRoar, a social justice club that teaches inclusivity and awareness about race, gender, sexuality, and other socially relevant topics. The club has created a safe space to celebrate diversity.
There are many positive changes that are starting to make Saline a more inclusive place. It’s vital that everyone becomes an ally, using any privilege they have to help those who don’t have the privilege to fight against racism. Racism is everyone’s problem, and it takes everyone to fix it. To simply not be racist isn’t enough. Being submissive within a system against racial minorities contributes to the problem. It’s necessary that everyone becomes anti-racist, which requires actively speaking out against racism, racial injustice, and inequality.
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