In middle school was when everything just kind of changed for me, I feel it was a lot of factors just hitting all [at once] when I was eleven. It was puberty, it was the fact that I was chubby, and then the fact that there weren’t that many Asians in my school. I remember there was a group of these boys that walked in the same route as me home and I remember hating when we would cross paths because they would always say something to me and they would say something so racist.
They would say things like ‘Hey chink, do you want to do my homework?’ or ‘Hey, you dropped your calculator.’ And, now I wish I just had the strength to clapback at them because at the time, I just didn’t say anything. I was so scared, I was genuinely afraid for my life and I wish that I had the courage to just stand up to them and be like, ‘Hey, yes, I did drop my calculator. Thank you. I’m really, really gonna need this when I’m just calculating all my finances in the future!’ But, unfortunately, I wasn’t like that.
Jenn Im, Growing Up Korean American: My Struggles, YouTube
May 18, 2018
I hope NO CHILD has to endure this traumatic rite of passage in the generations to come.
As an American society, we need to directly address why so many young white children exhibit aggressive, relentless bullying towards their ethnic classmates, where it has been learned, and how to stop it. EVERY ethnic person I know has experienced unforgettable racist bullying at a very tender age. I was only three years old when it first happened to me and it has continued throughout my life. Jenn learning to use humor to deflect judgement can help, but sometimes bullies can use that as an entry to continue their banter, so be careful with this method. I hope NO CHILD has to endure this traumatic rite of passage in the generations to come.
Have a Pleasant Day
-Rae Pleasant
