Hello. I am Bettyjoe. Well, I hope that this article gets out soon, even if it is past March 21 because I believe that every day should fight racism. March 21 is Canada's day to fight Racism and Discrimination. I know what some of you may be thinking: "Why should I care, I'm not racist."
Well, just being ignorant can lead to racism. Do you ever walk down the school hallways and find yourself or your friends telling racial jokes or calling others racial names? Well what do you do? Contrary to what some believe, it is just as bad to ignore the person that is hurting others as it is to do it yourself! You are being racist by what you have done and by what you have left undone...
Now, say you are the one being racially put down. What can you do? Sometimes there is nothing you can do. But you have rights, like everyone. Have you ever been called names like that for no reason? I know I have.
In 3rd grade once, I was excited for a trip we were going on the next day. There was a little girl beside me, about Kindergarten age. Suddenly she got up and went to an older sibling. As I was leaving the schoolyard, the older sister came up to me and told me that I had been bullying her little sister. Well, when I said that that had not been true and that it had been a mistake, she said, "Well you white kids are like that". I didn't know it at first, but that was the first time I had ever met Racism. Boy, it didn't feel good. Imagine walking through halls and people snicker and sneer at you for no reason, except that you are black or Jewish or from another country, or just different culture or any other reason. It hurts.
At my high school I went into one-acts, a competition in plays, and we were given a play that was based around Racism. I never felt so hurt for the people in these plays. People wouldn't hire one boy for being from Vietnam and the reason he had to come to Canada was because the Vietnamese people bothered him for being Chinese and the Chinese bothered him for being Vietnamese. He was both. Another girl was tormented for being Native American. Everyone thought that she should be a certain way for her culture, but the way they thought was not the way she really was. Another girl was tormented for the fact she was from Persia. They thought that she was a terrorist, among other things, just because of where she was born.
Is it really fair that we should live with all these stereotypes? Help others. Treat them fairly. In Germany, a man named Adolf Hitler thought that you couldn't be Jewish and be worthwhile. He killed many Jews, and many other people who he didn't like their eye or hair colours. He was horrible to anyone who was different and didn't follow his ways.
Even Canada, during World War 2, was just as bad to the Japanese people that had lived in Canada all their lives. The excuse was the fact that Canada was fighting the Japanese in the war... but we did this to LOYAL citizens. Only 150 years ago, in the States, black people were used as slaves because of their colour. STOP the MADNESS!!!
And so many times all over the world this has happened. We witnessed the terrible tragedies of racism for ourselves on Sept. 11, 2001. Only racism, discrimination, and ignorance can lead to this. Please, for the sake of the future, stop and think about the people you are hurting. Get to know then first. You'll be glad you did!
~Treat others as you would like them to treat you~
~ bettyjoe ~
