Racism In Middle School

I walked into the classroom and took a seat next to a group of my classmates. They were talking about a photo on the wall. “He looks Haitian,” one girl said, pointing at a dark skinned teacher in the photo. They all laughed. The teacher had heard their comment and asked them what they meant by that. “All Haitians are dark,” they explained.

I must have looked like a deer in headlights. Shock and astonishment were written all over my face. Offended thoughts were bouncing in my head--I didn’t even know what to say. I was stunned at what they were saying. So I said to my friend beside me “but Dominicans are Dark, Light Brown and Black so what are they trying to say”? I explained to them that D.R was founded after the French and Indian war, the historical tensions between the two countries.

When I first came to the Margarita Muñiz Academy in the 9th grade, it was hard adjusting to a school where 94% of the students were Hispanic and with literally less than 6% of the school being black. I would walk down the halls and be called racial slurs because I was black. I could feel the tension between the two races and it also made me feel angry that I came from a family that’s racially diverse. Having a Black American mom and a Jamaican dad, and coming from a Middle school that was
The Vice Principal and I came to a resolution and said that we'll start a class on the history of racism. Where the students are able to share personal experiences and feelings towards the topic and I feel like if I didn't speak up or say anything then I wouldn't be who I am