Article 7
Articulo 7
Articulo 7
What Students Are Saying About Race and Racism in America
The New York Times invited teenagers to join a discussion about racial equity and justice. Here is a selection of their 2,000-plus thoughtful, passionate comments.
Two days after George Floyd was killed by the police, Zee Thomas, 15, posted a tweet: “If my mom says yes I’m leading a Nashville protest.” Ms. Thomas had never been to a protest, let alone organized one. And yet five days later, with the help of five other teenagers, she was leading a march through her city, some 10,000 strong.
“We didn’t have a podium or anything, we were standing on water coolers to speak,” Ms. Thomas said. “I’m an introvert, and when I got up there I was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I doing?’ But I kept going.” The girls didn’t know it at the time, but in cities across the country, legions of other young activists were doing something similar.
'As teens, we feel like we cannot make a difference in this world, but we must.’ — Zee Thomas, 15
Two days after George Floyd was killed by the police, Zee Thomas, 15, posted a tweet: “If my mom says yes I’m leading a Nashville protest.” Ms. Thomas had never been to a protest, let alone organized one. And yet five days later, with the help of five other teenagers, she was leading a march through her city, some 10,000 strong (10,000 or more participants).
“We didn’t have a podium or anything, we were standing on water coolers to speak,” Ms. Thomas said. “I’m an introvert (shy), and when I got up there I was like, ‘Oh my God, what am I doing?’ But I kept going.” The girls didn’t know it at the time, but in cities across the country, legions (groups/ host) of other young activists were doing something similar.
'As teens, we feel like we cannot make a difference in this world, but we must.’ — Zee Thomas, 15
Dos días después de que George Floyd fuera asesinado por la policía, Zee Thomas, de 15 años, publicó un tuit: “Si mi madre dice que sí, encabezaré una protesta en Nashville”. La Sra. Thomas nunca había estado en una protesta, y mucho menos había organizado una. Y, sin embargo, cinco días después, con la ayuda de otros cinco adolescentes, encabezaba una marcha por su ciudad, con unos 10.000 participantes (10.000 o más participantes).
“No teníamos un podio ni nada, estábamos parados sobre dispensadores de agua para hablar”, dijo Thomas. “Soy introvertido (tímido), y cuando llegué ahí estaba como, ‘Dios mío, ¿qué estoy haciendo?’ Pero seguí adelante”. Las niñas no lo sabían en ese momento, pero en ciudades de todo el país, legiones (grupos/anfitriones) de otras jóvenes activistas estaban haciendo algo similar.
“Como adolescentes, sentimos que no podemos hacer una diferencia en este mundo, pero debemos hacerlo”.
—Zee Thomas, 15
"As a black girl, I have dealt with a lot of comments from others over the years pertaining my skin color and other features that make me a person of color. I still remember girls telling me my hair looked “normal” after straightening it, or girls petting my curly hair calling it “different,” treating me not like a person, but an exotic object. During the summer, when moments like the Black Lives Matter protests took place, I realized how many of my “friends” weren’t willing to say anything. It made me feel sad knowing they decided to stay silent. I also couldn’t believe the city I was born in would later be known as the city where the life of Floyd was taken."
"Como chica negra, he lidiado con muchos comentarios de otras personas a lo largo de los años sobre el color de mi piel y otras características que me hacen una persona de color. Todavía recuerdo a las chicas diciéndome que mi cabello se veía "normal" después de alisarlo, o chicas acariciando mi cabello rizado llamándolo "diferente", tratándome no como una persona, sino como un objeto exótico. Durante el verano, cuando ocurrieron momentos como las protestas de Black Lives Matter, me di cuenta de cuántos de mis "amigos" eran No estoy dispuesto a decir nada. Me entristeció saber que decidieron permanecer en silencio. Tampoco podía creer que la ciudad en la que nací fuera conocida más tarde como la ciudad donde le quitaron la vida a Floyd".
— Naomi, Georgia
"As a kid with divorced parents, I have two sides of my family: My mom’s house, where we can have talks about racism and go to protests together; and my dad’s house, where the existence of white privilege is denied completely and even joked about. I’ve seen news, real and fake, about the police cases and the protests, and I’ve come to a few conclusions. The first is that people with privilege and power will do or deny anything to stay in that place, even when they have proof it’s hurting others. The second is that if it were only a few bad apples, those “bad apples” would be fired and arrested — but they’re not. The police system protects racists and always has, as a system born out of catching runaway slaves. Until we dismantle and rebuild every racist system in our country, racism will be a problem, and everyone will have the choice to educate themselves or stay ignorant."
"As a kid with divorced parents, I have two sides of my family: My mom’s house, where we can have talks about racism and go to protests together; and my dad’s house, where the existence of white privilege is denied completely and even joked about. I’ve seen news, real and fake, about the police cases and the protests, and I’ve come to a few conclusions. The first is that people with privilege (a special right or advantage) and power will do or deny anything to stay in that place, even when they have proof it’s hurting others. The second is that if it were only a few bad apples, those “bad apples” would be fired and arrested — but they’re not. The police system protects racists and always has, as a system born out of catching runaway slaves. Until we dismantle (destroy/ take apart) and rebuild every racist system in our country, racism will be a problem, and everyone will have the choice to educate themselves or stay ignorant."
— Claire Elise, North Carolina
“Como un niño con padres divorciados, tengo dos lados de mi familia: la casa de mi mamá, donde podemos hablar sobre el racismo e ir juntos a las protestas; y la casa de mi papá, donde se niega por completo la existencia del privilegio blanco e incluso se bromea. He visto noticias, reales y falsas, sobre los casos policiales y las protestas, y he llegado a algunas conclusiones. La primera es que las personas con privilegios y poder harán o negarán cualquier cosa para permanecer en ese lugar, incluso cuando tienen pruebas de que está dañando a otros. La segunda es que si fueran solo unas pocas manzanas podridas, esas "manzanas podridas" serían despedidas y arrestadas, pero no lo son. El sistema policial protege a los racistas y siempre lo ha hecho, como sistema nacido de la captura de esclavos fugitivos. Hasta que desmantelemos y reconstruyamos todos los sistemas racistas en nuestro país, el racismo será un problema, y todos tendrán la opción de educarse o permanecer ignorantes".
—Claire Elise, Carolina del Norte
"Being a Latina makes my perspective on the topic of racial inequalities quite sensitive. The first time I began thinking about my racial identity was when my family and I moved into a predominantly white town. I truly wish my parents had prepared me more for the environment that we were moving into, yet I believe that deep down they did not expect to encounter racism.
Witnessing and sometimes even experiencing all the issues and injustices around me has propelled my interest in history, in hopes of simply understanding and helping to educate others. As a little girl, I would witness racism against indigenous people in my home country, Ecuador. I began noticing it at about the age of 12. It was only after studying the age of exploration, the Incan empire and colonization that I began to make sense of such horrible actions.
With the death of George Floyd, I began wondering how racial injustices are manifesting during the Covid-19 pandemic. I began thinking about access to health care and unemployment benefits. According to The New York Times, 40 million people have lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic. How many of these people were minorities? How many of these minorities were able to receive relief from the government? Do all students have equal access to technology to facilitate their online learning?
After witnessing so many acts of racial injustice, I worry that little by little, humans are losing their empathy and love for one another."
"Being a Latina makes my perspective (viewpoint) on the topic of racial inequalities quite sensitive. The first time I began thinking about my racial identity was when my family and I moved into a predominantly (mostlty) white town. I truly wish my parents had prepared me more for the environment that we were moving into, yet I believe that deep down they did not expect to encounter racism.
Witnessing and sometimes even experiencing all the issues and injustices around me has propelled (pushed forward) my interest in history, in hopes of simply understanding and helping to educate others. As a little girl, I would witness racism against indigenous (originated from; native) people in my home country, Ecuador. I began noticing it at about the age of 12. It was only after studying the age of exploration, the Incan empire and colonization that I began to make sense of such horrible actions.
With the death of George Floyd, I began wondering how racial injustices are manifesting during the Covid-19 pandemic. I began thinking about access to health care and unemployment benefits. According to The New York Times, 40 million people have lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic. How many of these people were minorities? How many of these minorities were able to receive relief from the government? Do all students have equal access to technology to facilitate (to make something easier) their online learning?
After witnessing so many acts of racial injustice, I worry that little by little, humans are losing their empathy (ability to understand and share feelings of another) and love for one another."
"Ser latina hace que mi perspectiva sobre el tema de las desigualdades raciales sea bastante delicada. La primera vez que comencé a pensar en mi identidad racial fue cuando mi familia y yo nos mudamos a un pueblo predominantemente blanco. Realmente desearía que mis padres me hubieran preparado más para el entorno en el que nos íbamos a mudar, pero creo que en el fondo no esperaban encontrarse con el racismo.
Ser testigo y, a veces, incluso experimentar todos los problemas e injusticias que me rodean ha impulsado mi interés en la historia, con la esperanza de simplemente comprender y ayudar a educar a otros. Cuando era niña, fui testigo del racismo contra los indígenas en mi país de origen, Ecuador. Empecé a notarlo a la edad de 12 años. Fue solo después de estudiar la era de la exploración, el imperio inca y la colonización que comencé a dar sentido a acciones tan horribles.
Con la muerte de George Floyd, comencé a preguntarme cómo se manifiestan las injusticias raciales durante la pandemia de Covid-19. Empecé a pensar en el acceso a la atención médica y las prestaciones por desempleo. Según The New York Times, 40 millones de personas han perdido su trabajo desde el comienzo de la pandemia. ¿Cuántas de estas personas eran minorías? ¿Cuántas de estas minorías pudieron recibir ayuda del gobierno? ¿Todos los estudiantes tienen el mismo acceso a la tecnología para facilitar su aprendizaje en línea?
Después de presenciar tantos actos de injusticia racial, me preocupa que, poco a poco, los humanos estén perdiendo la empatía y el amor mutuo".
—Paula, Nueva Jersey
"As a black girl, I have experienced a lot of pain because of my skin color. A lot of my childhood friends were nonblack, and I often was made to feel like an outsider with them. Once I was told by a white classmate, “Wow, your hair is finally normal!” upon having my hair straightened for picture day. Suddenly, I felt as though my natural curls were abnormal, and I never wanted to be abnormal again. So, the internalized racism (hating your own racial group) began to grow and flourish within me. I was so ashamed to be black, so desperate to not be seen as “hood” or “ghetto” that I demeaned (put down) my own people in order to raise myself up …
Today, I am very pro-black; I love my hair, and I love my skin. But it’s still hard to find beauty in the mirror when I go to look. Sometimes it hurts knowing that lighter girls will always be seen as being prettier than me, that I don’t fit most people’s idea of being the “acceptable version” of blackness. But I have to remind myself that it’s OK, things will change. I’m still young enough to help create a future where no other black girl will suffer like I did, or how I sometimes still do."
"Como niña negra, he experimentado mucho dolor debido al color de mi piel. Muchos de mis amigos de la infancia no eran negros y, a menudo, me hacían sentir como una extraña con ellos. Una vez, un compañero de clase blanco me dijo: “¡Guau, tu cabello finalmente es normal!” después de que me alisaron el cabello para el día de la foto. De repente, sentí que mis rizos naturales eran anormales y que nunca más quería volver a ser anormal. Entonces, el racismo internalizado comenzó a crecer y florecer dentro de mí. Estaba tan avergonzado de ser negro. , tan desesperado por no ser visto como "barrio" o "gueto" que denigre a mi propia gente para enaltecerme...
Hoy soy muy pro-negro; Amo mi cabello, y amo mi piel. Pero todavía es difícil encontrar la belleza en el espejo cuando voy a mirar. A veces duele saber que las chicas más claras siempre serán vistas como más bonitas que yo, que no encajo en la idea de la mayoría de la gente de ser la "versión aceptable" de la negrura. Pero tengo que recordarme a mí mismo que está bien, las cosas cambiarán. Todavía soy lo suficientemente joven como para ayudar a crear un futuro en el que ninguna otra niña negra sufra como yo, o como a veces todavía sufro".
—KJ, Texas