“Where are you from? No, where are you really from?”
“Wow, your english is good!”
“You don’t act like a normal Black person.”
“You’re really pretty for an Asian person!”
On May 19, the MAELS Against Hate Committee hosted a community meeting to continue discussions about racism and oppression. MAELS Against Hate is a series of community meetings where we actively learn and work against hate and oppression in our community.
“The purpose is to give members of the MAELS community a place to collaborate on important topics and help each other grow,” says Chace Olsen, a Student Leader, “Based on facts, of course”.
“It’s also intended as a safe place to share personal experiences,” says Student Leader Adriana Volonzo. “We want to honor individuals in our community and empower them to share their voice and to honor their feelings.”
Student Leader Isabella Mora added, “The goal of MAELS Against Hate is to create an awareness of racism, sexism, homophobia, hate and other biases in our community in order to create change.”
In the past, our town hall meetings at MAELS were hosted in response to the violence that was happening towards the Black and Asian American community. However, oppression is not experienced by only Black and Asian Americans but to all marginalized communities. Racism does not occur sporadically but is rather consistent for people of color. It is dangerous and must be addressed. In order to dismantle racism and oppression, there must be ongoing discussions about it. We cannot only talk about it when it’s “trendy” to do so.
“Many people of color are faced with everyday racism and it's often ignored,” says Catherine DeSanti, an 8th grader.
“We have the power to change racism and inequality,” says Selin Portelli, a 7th grader. “We can make this change by simply having ongoing conversations and reflecting on the things we say and how we interact with others.”
The focus of this community meeting was microaggressions. Participants learn what microaggressions look like and the impact it can have on marginalized groups. Although this particular community meeting focused on race, both students and teachers came together to learn that microaggressions can happen to all marginalized groups such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), the LGBTQ+ Community, people with disabilities, and others.
“Microaggressions can be a subtle comment or action that can unintentionally be offensive towards BIPOC,” says Alistair Mendo, a 7th grader.
“Even though they are subtle and can be unintentionally, microaggressions are very serious and harmful,” said 8th grader Tristan Perez.
“What you say to someone may seem harmless or may have been intended as a joke,” says Student Leader Valeria Mendez. “But what you say might end up making them feel like they’re different or don’t belong because of their culture, color, or background.”
Alecia Watson, an 8th grader, shared that she related to the topic and the videos that she saw during the community meeting. As a multiracial person (Black, white, and Asian), she has heard many comments about her skin color as it doesn’t match that of her mother.
“I used to be told that I must be adopted because I wasn’t a ‘black person’,” shared Alecia. ”I was also teased that my only ‘black feature’ was my curly hair because I didn’t match the way I looked. What made it worse was when people expected to be “ghetto” from living in the projects. I used to be so embarrassed of myself that I would look to change my hair to look ‘white’ because I didn’t want to be made fun of. I grew up thinking this was all normal but there clearly needs to be a change.”
“It feels hard sometimes to be a Hispanic in certain communities,” says 8th grader Denise Villegas. “It doesn’t always feel safe. It’s sad to say but I’m kind of used to it. I think I’m the way I am because of the microaggressions that I have experienced and still experience.”
“An old friend I had called me ‘whitewashed’ because I was friends with white people, says 6th grader Ibraim Black. “It hurt me.”
Carline Lin, a sixth grader, also related to the experience. “I was called a dumb, ugly Asian in elementary school. I would tell the teacher about it but the comments would get worse. The students would laugh it off as a joke,” shared Carline. “They would continue to call me a crybaby for not being able to take their joke. These words really made me feel different, and like I didn’t belong. I don’t even know what to do about it.”
While some students were empowered to share their experiences with racism and microaggressions, others offered words of encouragement and showed empathy for their peers.
“I was in the same school as a student who shared their experience during the meeting,” says 6th grade Aphelia Amirova. “It made me sick to my stomach to see her experience unfold. I saw a lot of students invalidating BIPOC and it concerns me.”
“I just want to say that everyone should be treated with the same respect and not according to stereotypes,” said 7th grade Trista Cheung. “For example, there might be stereotypes that make you feel like you are not smart but they’re not true!”
Microaggressions have been described by the Journal of LGBT Youth as “death by a thousand cuts.”
“In other words, one discriminatory experience is horrible but it might be possible to brush it off,” says Student Leader Chace Olsen, “But imagine hearing it several times, every day, over the course of an entire lifetime. You begin to question whether you are normal or even belong in your own home.”
Racism and oppression isn’t the problem of BIPOC. Rather, it is everyone’s problem. At MAELS, we commit to fighting against social injustices and oppression in our community. Here are some goals and commitments shared by students after the community meeting:
“Where are you from? No, where are you really from?”
“Wow, your english is good!”
“You don’t act like a normal Black person.”
“You’re really pretty for an Asian person!”
On May 19, the MAELS Against Hate Committee hosted a community meeting to continue discussions about racism and oppression. MAELS Against Hate is a series of community meetings where we actively learn and work against hate and oppression in our community.
“The purpose is to give members of the MAELS community a place to collaborate on important topics and help each other grow,” says Chace Olsen, a Student Leader, “Based on facts, of course”.
“It’s also intended as a safe place to share personal experiences,” says Student Leader Adriana Volonzo. “We want to honor individuals in our community and empower them to share their voice and to honor their feelings.”
Student Leader Isabella Mora added, “The goal of MAELS Against Hate is to create an awareness of racism, sexism, homophobia, hate and other biases in our community in order to create change.”
In the past, our town hall meetings at MAELS were hosted in response to the violence that was happening towards the Black and Asian American community. However, oppression is not experienced by only Black and Asian Americans but to all marginalized communities. Racism does not occur sporadically but is rather consistent for people of color. It is dangerous and must be addressed. In order to dismantle racism and oppression, there must be ongoing discussions about it. We cannot only talk about it when it’s “trendy” to do so.
“Many people of color are faced with everyday racism and it's often ignored,” says Catherine DeSanti, an 8th grader.
“We have the power to change racism and inequality,” says Selin Portelli, a 7th grader. “We can make this change by simply having ongoing conversations and reflecting on the things we say and how we interact with others.”
The focus of this community meeting was microaggressions. Participants learn what microaggressions look like and the impact it can have on marginalized groups. Although this particular community meeting focused on race, both students and teachers came together to learn that microaggressions can happen to all marginalized groups such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), the LGBTQ+ Community, people with disabilities, and others.
“Microaggressions can be a subtle comment or action that can unintentionally be offensive towards BIPOC,” says Alistair Mendo, a 7th grader.
“Even though they are subtle and can be unintentionally, microaggressions are very serious and harmful,” said 8th grader Tristan Perez.
“What you say to someone may seem harmless or may have been intended as a joke,” says Student Leader Valeria Mendez. “But what you say might end up making them feel like they’re different or don’t belong because of their culture, color, or background.”
Alecia Watson, an 8th grader, shared that she related to the topic and the videos that she saw during the community meeting. As a multiracial person (Black, white, and Asian), she has heard many comments about her skin color as it doesn’t match that of her mother.
“I used to be told that I must be adopted because I wasn’t a ‘black person’,” shared Alecia. ”I was also teased that my only ‘black feature’ was my curly hair because I didn’t match the way I looked. What made it worse was when people expected to be “ghetto” from living in the projects. I used to be so embarrassed of myself that I would look to change my hair to look ‘white’ because I didn’t want to be made fun of. I grew up thinking this was all normal but there clearly needs to be a change.”
“It feels hard sometimes to be a Hispanic in certain communities,” says 8th grader Denise Villegas. “It doesn’t always feel safe. It’s sad to say but I’m kind of used to it. I think I’m the way I am because of the microaggressions that I have experienced and still experience.”
“An old friend I had called me ‘whitewashed’ because I was friends with white people, says 6th grader Ibraim Black. “It hurt me.”
Carline Lin, a sixth grader, also related to the experience. “I was called a dumb, ugly Asian in elementary school. I would tell the teacher about it but the comments would get worse. The students would laugh it off as a joke,” shared Carline. “They would continue to call me a crybaby for not being able to take their joke. These words really made me feel different, and like I didn’t belong. I don’t even know what to do about it.”
While some students were empowered to share their experiences with racism and microaggressions, others offered words of encouragement and showed empathy for their peers.
“I was in the same school as a student who shared their experience during the meeting,” says 6th grade Aphelia Amirova. “It made me sick to my stomach to see her experience unfold. I saw a lot of students invalidating BIPOC and it concerns me.”
“I just want to say that everyone should be treated with the same respect and not according to stereotypes,” said 7th grade Trista Cheung. “For example, there might be stereotypes that make you feel like you are not smart but they’re not true!”
Microaggressions have been described by the Journal of LGBT Youth as “death by a thousand cuts.”
“In other words, one discriminatory experience is horrible but it might be possible to brush it off,” says Student Leader Chace Olsen, “But imagine hearing it several times, every day, over the course of an entire lifetime. You begin to question whether you are normal or even belong in your own home.”
Racism and oppression isn’t the problem of BIPOC. Rather, it is everyone’s problem. At MAELS, we commit to fighting against social injustices and oppression in our community. Here are some goals and commitments shared by students after the community meeting:
