Why Race Is Critical by Nicole

Why Race Is Critical by Nicole - July 2022 Scholarship Essay

I was five when I watched my family be tormented by police officers during our road trip. It was then that I got the “talk” about how to react in such situations; to never reach for anything and never talk back. When I was seven, I was the only Black girl in my gymnastics class. My White instructors made sure to pay special attention to every other girls’ flips and tricks, meanwhile I waited for the moment it would be my turn to get recognition. I quit when I was eight. Countless times throughout my childhood, I was on the receiving end of White ignorance. If five-year-old me had to learn about why my skin color was a threat to others, why can’t it be taught in our schools?
Senate Bill 3 went into effect in Texas public schools last year, which strictly limits classroom discussions in regards to race. Systemically, People of Color have been targeted in every aspect of life, from representation, to jobs, to where they live. As a Black girl, I have known about these issues for as long as I can remember. White people have the privilege to live in ignorance of the issues that People Of Color face, but the education system has the power to change that. With Senate Bill 3, “controversial” issues are not to be discussed by teachers, leaving students at a disadvantage. Where there are many opportunities for growth, students will instead have to base their view of racism off of the little information they are given in the classroom. I am sure I could have avoided a lot of antagonizing situations in my life, if only my peers had been taught why some things were wrong to say.
Not only has the lack of, what many call, Critical Race Theory in schools affected me throughout my childhood and teenage years, but the way that classrooms have sheltered children continuously affects how people are treated in their adulthood. The amount of adults who ignorantly say and do hurtful things while taking no accountability only makes me think about the education that went into their childhood. If more racially aware concepts were taught in schools from a young age, there would undoubtedly be a smaller pool of adults who ignore the systemic bias held against races, and how they contribute to that bias. There would be more adults who look like me that are not dealing with snide remarks and racial slurs being thrown at them just for walking outside. It is extremely important that as a society we learn about racism from the past, so we can demolish it in the future. I am tired of living in a world where I am less likely to get a job because of the color of my skin, and maybe one day we will reach the point where that will no longer be an issue for Black Americans as a whole.
In the meanwhile, it is important to take action. Senate Bill 3 needs to be reversed, and rather, it should be mandatory that Critical Race Theory be taught in schools. In order to form a better society, the youth should be learning about how POC are being treated. Rather than making the Civil Rights Movement look like it happened centuries ago, it should be known that racial equality was only achieved less than 70 years ago. Show the colored pictures of Martin Luther King Jr., and show White students how they can do better than their great-grandparents did during the movement. Fortunately, my generation has been using their voices to enact change, despite how young they are. If children can advocate for change, their voices should not be suppressed under the conditions of the classroom.
Years from now, I want to stop witnessing the acts of police brutality on Black people. I do not want other little Black girls to feel like they are unimportant when they are doing what they love. My experiences have taught me many lessons, and I hope 10 years down the line, schools can eventually teach other important lessons to their students. Not ones just involving mathematics or writing, but lessons that will shape the future into a better place. Lessons that can unite everyone of different backgrounds, and put an end to the systemic oppression that has happened for years.