Learning From My Mistakes
On my first day of elementary school, my mother dressed me and gave me a warning. “Be careful who you hang out with. Especially brown and Black people. They’re not known for good things. They do bad things in the streets.” “Like what?” I asked. “Stealing, killing, and all kinds of bad stuff. But you […]
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By Trying to Fit In, I Lost My Joy
When I was little, my family referred to me as their little nut because I was so outgoing. In school, I was scolded for being too loud during rest time and frequently had my seat moved for chatting too much with my classmates. Soon, I developed a strong interest in fashion and accessories, wearing beaded […]
Read MoreMy Trauma’s Worse Than Yours
During the summer before high school, most of my friends ghosted me. I wasn’t completely over being abandoned when I began 9th grade, but I became more observant of how people try to fit in among social groups. One day, in the cafeteria, I was trying to console a good friend who was going through […]
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An Apology in Action
Jonah, a boy in my 5th grade class, was different from the other kids. He had an unusual walk and wore hearing aids and thick glasses. One day during recess, when most kids were playing basketball, climbing on the monkey bars, or running around, a boy walked over to Jonah and shouted, “You’re such a […]
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