It’s already August, which means back to school … and usually this is an exciting time, full of possibilities, lots of nerves, and way too much complaining about having to get up early again. But this year is different – at least for me – because I have been dreading my teen’s return to school.
I’m scared for her to go back to school this year because of her skin color. Now I’m not actually scared of her skin color, but rather, am fearful of the prejudice that her skin color can inspire in others. Her beautiful brown skin unfortunately has the potential to arouse hatred and fear in so many closed-minded individuals.
Even though her dad and I are divorced, she has always been raised to be proud of being half Mexican, proud of her skin color, proud of being the daughter of an immigrant. But for the past 6 months or so, the things that have always been respected, supported, and celebrated in our home? They’ve turned her into a target, on the receiving end of racial slurs and xenophobic comments.
Things were pretty rough during those last few weeks of school last May; she had an incident at lunch where her table and another table were involved in a food fight. While the principal was talking to my daughter about her involvement, a boy from the other table yelled, “deport her”. And then? His friends clapped and cheered.
A few months prior to this, my daughter and her counselor came up with a safety plan about what they would do if ICE ever came to school. At 13 years old, she is fully aware of how dangerous it is in our country right now for someone with her skin color … so aware that she is taking her personal safety into her own hands.
And I think part of me naively hoped that things would get better over the summer? But unfortunately it has gotten so much worse. I read the headlines about how people are taking their picture with a sign for the concentration camp in Florida – as if it was a tourist attraction. I saw the videos of children crying out for help, with their hands and feet in chains, as they were led into a detention center in LA.
No one deserves to be treated this way, much less a child. Children should not be targeted and persecuted. This is wrong. This is how every atrocity in the history of our country has begun – with someone deciding who counts as human – and then deciding who isn’t human enough. My daughter, with her beautiful brown skin, still counts as human. All of the children with brown skin still count as human. All of the children of immigrants – or the children that are immigrants themselves – still count as human.
Mom to mom, I am begging you to have an age-appropriate conversation with your child about racial profiling. You cannot tell where someone is born based on their skin color. You cannot tell where someone is from based on their skin color. You cannot decide what someone’s documentation status is based on their skin color.
In the weeks leading up to that first day of school, please try to find time to promote acceptance and tolerance within your own home. Embracing diversity, challenging prejudices and stereotypes, fostering empathy and understanding, emphasizing similarities and shared humanity – those are all things we can do as moms to take a stand against the atrocities currently occurring in our country. Whether your child is 7 or 17 – they have the power to help ensure that their classmates, especially those of color, feel safe, respected, and included this upcoming school year.
