Racism in School: One Student’s Experience

By a student in Maryland

I am a student at a Maryland high school. My school is very diverse yet in upper level classes like AP, GT, and Honors, it is majority white. In most of my classes I find myself in a class where I am the only African American or one out of two in the class.

In tenth grade I took World History which was one of the worst experiences I had at school. The main problem was the teacher who discouraged me from asking questions and taunted all of the African American students. Whenever I was confused or needed help she often brushed me to the side and told me to ask my peers yet when any of the white students needed help she offered them coach class and lunch study times. She seemed to just have a problem with kids that looked like me. This was all fine. I could live with teaching myself. The problem I had was the way she talked to me. One day, towards the end of the quarter, I noticed that she gave me a zero for an assignment that I had already completed and turned in. That assignment was worth half of my grade. When I politely showed her the mistake she made on my grade she refused to fix the error. She said, “if you don’t like it go to the guidance counselor to get removed from my class.” I told her that that was not what I wanted to do. I deserve the to be in this class just as everyone else. She said I was not smart enough to be in the class. She then said that she would do everything possible to get me put out of her class into a lower level. I went home and told my mother everything that happened at school that day. The next day my mother and I met with her in the morning for a conference. She would not let us talk, raising her voice and talking over us.

On the lacrosse team I was one out of the two black girls on the team. My teammates scared everyone else away. The first year in ninth grade was a great season. Our coach was a coach for everyone. When I moved up to varsity the next year everything changed. The coach was an old white man who did not believe in treating everyone equally. The white girls were very exclusive. One day during the water break the girls were in a circle bashing black people. One girl said “I hate black people. I know that I am racist but I don’t care.” They went on to talk about how black people are so ugly, especially their dark skin. They called black people monkeys, lazy, and uneducated. Another girl explained how she only watches shows or movies if they have no black people. They kept on repeating how they can not stand to be around black people and saying “I am racist” over and over again. I was just so confused because I was standing right there. It was as if they purposely wanted me to hear them.

Later on that week we were having our annual party for the season. One girl in particular said that she did not want me or my friend to come because “black people steal.” My friend and I never stole anything so we were not sure what even gave her that idea. Finally, I went to the coach and told him how I was uncomfortable coming to practice with the girls talking about black people or spreading rumors about how my friend and I want to rob her house. He did absolutely nothing. He did not even talk to her about the situation. We were part of the team too whether they liked it or not! Ever since we joined the team they had resented us because they felt like black people shouldn’t play and we were taking their sport. The coach stopped playing us. We were judged without being given a chance. I went to the guidance counselor next because I thought we had zero tolerance for bullying at our school but I was wrong. Again they did absolutely nothing but let the girl cry in front of me like she was the victim. After that situation I thought it would finally be over but I was terribly wrong. A video sent on social media to the lacrosse team had two of the girls on the team saying “Get back to the plantation n—–”. In the video they pretended to be slashing a whip. I was so upset because I had thought we moved passed this. When I went to the principal again they had no punishment. Their excuse was they was just playing and acting out a Vine. I didn’t find it funny.

Sadly this is my personal experience with race. Many other people at my school share the same issues. Because of this I started a club for black girls at my school to give us a safe space. Over 40 students came.