Identity; the way in which you view yourself and are viewed by the world. What may this include you might ask? Your appearance, beliefs, socioeconomic status or ethnicity? Many of you may be reading this right now nodding your head, smiling even, thinking about all the things that make you, you. Well, what if your identity is the very reason that you are subjected to the harsh discrimination our society offers. What if the thing the world has chosen to bully you about is something you were born with?
Racial discrimination is a natural phenomenon that has plagued us since the beginning of Western colonisation and has since manifested itself into the tyrannical, bigoted mess we know as racism today. Despite the number one declared human right by the UN being that we are all born free and equal and the second being don’t discriminate. Children as young as five have had to deal with the unpleasantries of prejudice from their peers. A study from Harvard medical school has shown that experiencing racism from a young age not only affects the child’s health but also directly impacts their chances at having a good and successful future.
How can a few measly words affect a child’s future? Chronic stress.
Racism has been well known in causing a child to enter a stage of distress and confusion as in most instances, they cannot fully comprehend what is happening while still feeling an inkling that something is wrong. Children from ethnic minority groups are typically more likely to come from homes with lower incomes and higher unemployment than white counterparts. This in turn, means that there’s a higher chance of these adolescents having a lower quality of education, poor nutrition and access to healthcare along with the mental and emotional strain they’ll possibly have to deal with. This disadvantage, however, is still relevant to children who live in a wealthier region as research has shown that they’re often treated differently by teachers. They’re more likely to be dismissed, receive harsher punishment and be underestimated. How are they expected to believe in themselves if their teacher doesn’t?
Growing up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, I never experienced racism myself, in my mind, it was purely a concept people who lived abroad had to deal with. Racism and Australia? Nah, it was like mixing water and oil. This perfect little bubble of mine, however, was quickly broken when our family up and moved to the city. I was like a deer at headlights my first outing with friends, everything was new and scary and yet I still couldn’t help feeling as if I’d entered a new magical world - kinda like Narnia. So, when a man turned around in the KFC line to find no one but me behind him and shot me the dirtiest, most disgusted look I’d ever received, a burning feeling rushed over my chest and a voice in my head told me to step back away from him. It was as if my subconscious knew what was happening, but I didn’t. My favourite encounter so far though was probably when a man came into Mcdonalds and because I asked him to repeat his order once more to confirm, he screamed, “learn English or go back to your country.” Did I want to punch him, yell at him or maybe even show him my school report? Yes, yes and yes, but I didn’t because as horrible as experiencing strangers shooting you hateful looks and words is based on nothing but the colour of your skin, I’ve learnt to be better and rise above them. Admittedly, this is something that may have gotten lost in translation during this COVID pandemic.
As further research, multiple individuals were asked about their personal experiences with racism and how it had impacted them growing up. It’s safe to say that the responses speak for itself.
“I was about 7 y/o and there was a national day in my school (that school was in the Netherlands [..]), and because I'm Saudi, I wore an Arabic turban. A lot of people didn't like me and didn't want to talk to me just because I was wearing an "Arabic dress", they discriminated against me, because for them it was similar to crossdressing. It made me understand that even the smallest things will make people hate you, and for that, the best people are friends and family. They're the people who'll be behind your back, and that will thrive to help you. And I also realized how I should treat others better than I did, because I thought it was normal, but it isn't, and some people get really emotional. And you never know what has happened in someone's life, and what they're going through.”
“When I was in primary school, it was my first time interacting with people, so I didn’t know how to socialise. Because of this. I was uneducated of what racism was, until a couple years later. During prep, people would do the slant eye gesture to me, saying that they were now me. I didn’t understand that this was racism, but I still felt confused and offended because I felt like they were mocking me. To this day, these past experiences have impacted me by regretting my mindset and staying naive to what racism was. I didn’t see myself any different from the rest of my peers, but I guess it wasn’t the same to them.”
“Racism has always been around me and I think it has impacted my upbringing. I would like people to understand that making fun of people's last names or saying ‘Ni hao’ is not the best thing to say and it makes me have less respect for them. There are more jokes than racial ones.”
“In the countryside of Switzerland, people are not that cool with foreigners. I got bullied for 2 years straight for being Asian and got called things like dog eater, Ching Chong and other tasteless jokes that became a daily thing and now I see the same people who laughed about me for eating chicken with rice for lunch protesting on Instagram for black lives matter. I never got the feeling of acceptance over here. Gladly I found new people to hang around with, because more than 80% of the younger generation are supportive and have the right beliefs.”
“When I travel to countries with mostly white people like America and Australia, I would get called names like "chink" and "small eyes". when I was a kid, I was travelling in Australia when a bunch of middle aged white men yelled at me and told me to "get the fuck out of this country ling ling before I beat you up and ship you back to China" I was only 5 back then and it made me realise that I will never be treated equally because of my race. No kid should have to feel unsafe because of their skin colour and it's disappointing to see that no one takes racism towards Asians seriously because of how normalised it has become, especially with the whole COVID-19 issue around.”
These personal accounts not only show the effects of racism on a child, but also shows us how they have grown stronger because of what they’ve had to endure from childhood. With all that said, however, it is important to note that none of this should be normalised. A child should not have to defend themselves for the colour of their skin, for the way they look or the belief they hold. They should not have to question their importance as opposed to their white peers, nor should they feel incompetent due to a teacher’s failure in treating each student with equity in the classroom.
For many, racial discrimination has sadly become a part of their lives, a part of who they are, for others, they hold in their hands both the privilege to watch all this from afar and the power to step in to prevent this from continuing any further. Be the latter, be better and make sure the children of tomorrow will not have to face the same cruelty those of us today have.
Written by: Linh Dang
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