Racism: Does It Happen in Schools?

A few months ago, in a local school in the United States, a student was restricted to join a student run activity because of his colour and was falsely accused of forcing the students to give him money.

Racism is when a person is treated less favorably and is not treated equally because of their colour or race. Racism has been a global issue for ages but now has started widening in schools as well. According to Mr. Raisdana, an English teacher who taught in a school where racism was very common, “The main source of Racism is the lack of education and money”

When someone with a dark colour comes across white people with more money and higher standards, the richer starts insulting the poor to protect their pride and identity. Why is racism a problem? According to itstopswithme.humanrights.gov.au, a Australian human rights campaign, A study of over 800 Australian secondary school students found that racism had huge mental health impacts on young people who experience it, including:

• ongoing feelings of sadness, anger, depression and being left out 
• headaches, increased heart rate, sweating, trembling and muscle tension 
• a constant fear of being verbally or physically attacked 
• not wanting to go to school 
• having little or no trust in anybody apart from family. 

These impacts can reduce people’s ability to work or study, and to achieve their future goals.

Racism also affects people’s general well being when they are denied equal access to jobs, services and education.

How to stop bullying? According to youngscot.org, these are the following ways to stop individual racism:

1. Don’t Take The Abuse
You don't have to accept any form of racist abuse. Everyone, no matter what their nationality or race, has a right to live happily and free from discrimination. Yep, that includes right here in Scotland.

2. Realize That You're Not The One With The Problem
It can be hard because your self-esteem does sometimes take a knock if you're having grief from someone, but the thing you have to remember is that you are not the one to have caused the problem. You’ve done nothing wrong.

3. Keep Some Evidence Of What's Happening
You should write down what's been happening, like a diary of events, for example, and also your thoughts on what you would like to happen. This will be useful to show others that you need help and to what extent it’s affecting you.

4. Be Prepared To Speak Out
Be prepared to speak out and tell people just how it’s affecting your life and your well-being. If you are going to alert someone to the fact that you're being threatened, abused or bullied, then do it properly.

5. Never Give Up!
You might not be able to tackle racism by yourself. Seek out support and accept help where you can.

According to racismfreeedmonton.ca,

Support and participate in initiatives to increase awareness of and combat racism.

Volunteer for an organization that reflects your values and does anti-racist work.

Get involved with boards and community groups to help ensure that they are serving the needs of diverse communities.

Support ways to identify, monitor and respond to acts of racism, such as hate crimes. (Link to the Alberta Government Hate Crimes report)

Racism is a problem that can only diminished by bystanders becoming upstanders and just stand up for it.

Written by Luvish