Caroline N, 20

As a young black woman, I continue to face and experience racial prejudice. These encounters may not necessarily be people directly saying something racist to me but you start to feel it when someone gives you the look when you walk into a store, or a white woman will ask you the price of something in a store because they immediately assume that you work there. Mainly because she has the mentality that "most black people work in retail". Racism does not only refer to the physical oppression or labelling but overtime it affects how we think of society and ourselves. Systemic racism has laid a foundation for black people or people of colour to struggle to break the cycles of poverty, the cycles of not feeling worth it and it has become a sad reality that we are encouraged to go to school but once we get that diploma or degree, we are still stuck because of this Foundation. Now we face the real world, employers immediately disregarding your qualifications because of your race or they hire you, not because of your qualifications but because the company needs to put on a face that they hire people of colour as well. Until we dismantle the old Foundation and lay a new one we will continue fighting the surface only and not the root of the problem.

Amanda Gorman, American Poet

Black girls are typically stereotyped, in part, as angry and irrational. Growing up, this made me feel that if I were to express my inner thoughts, I would be categorized as 'emotional' because of my race and gender. But as I started writing poetry, I found that my thoughts and emotions weren't things to muzzle or silence; but that if I felt rage, I had reason, because it was caused by inequity and injustice. And so now I'm learning to see those things that I was afraid would stereotype me as some of my greatest wells in my artistic journey

Shivani Lahiri, 21

In my life, racial stereotypes have not really affected much as I've always been treated as equals to my male counterparts such as my brothers and my friends. But yes, on a broader aspect, racial stereotypes have affected a major section of our society. Also, more than stereotypes, it's the mentality of few people which affects the lives of many. I personally have noticed that people of all races are quite happy together and treat each other with great respect but when it comes to certain people or leaders who practically "mislead" the people and manipulate their thoughts are the ones who instigate such feelings and work on the policy of "divide and rule" thereby creating stereotypes.

Aria Young, 19

Being in a predominantly white catholic school, people assume that I’m the shy Asian girl and wouldn’t necessarily initiate conversations with me, so I have to be extra extroverted in order to show that I’m different than “other Asian girls.” Also in school some white girls who aren’t even my friends would only talk to me when they need help with lab or a test. So I would say those are some of the negative impact of racial stereotypes on me. Hope that helps!

Audrey Lee, 18

For me personally, people tend to assume that my family makes a lot of money and is well off when we’ve struggled throughout my whole childhood. Also that I have a positive family life when I’ve been kicked out multiple times.

Yasmine Baldo, 17

Racial stereotypes have greatly impacted my life. My racial and ethnic identity has left me disadvantaged at many times. Having to witness my immigrant parents receive dirty looks for speaking their native tongue has developed an underlying shame of my culture. Not growing up with any prominent women of color has made it difficult for me to envision myself in a position of power. Conversely, these struggles have allowed me to find a community of people like me. Creating friendships where we can support each other with shared struggles has helped guide me through life as a black woman in a stereotypical and patriarchal society. I hope to one day become a figure that young black individuals can use as motivation to succeed in a world where many odds are against them.

Vanessa Louis, 19

Growing up with racial stereotypes imposed on me, it was hard to navigate life the way I wanted to. l suppressed my feelings and things I like to fit in a society that wanted me to fit in a box. For a long time, I did fit in that box. I made sure in class I didn't show my anger when they had ignorant takes in fear of being the "angry black girl". When I wanted to wear my big hoop earrings, I substituted for a stud to fit in with the other girls in class. I didn't wear my natural hair out because to others it was "too messy." I was assimilating because I thought that was what I needed to do, to get far in life and to be considered normal. But why did I have to suppress myself, my blackness, and my voice to become like others? When I asked myself this question, I realized that a life where I was scared to be me was a life that I could not live. If I am angry, I will voice my opinions. If I want to wear big hoops, I will because that is what I like. If I want to wear my natural hair, I will because it's my hair. Stereotypes to this day still plague my life, and it still sometimes hinders how I enter certain spaces and how I view myself. But regardless of what society says, I try to be true to myself and my blackness.

Shantell Martin

In many ways, I've been stereotyped or you could say put inboxes. I am many things. I am a woman. I am biracial. I am queer. I am dyslexic, I am an artist. To name a few that I personally embody. These labels carry their own depth of judgment and disadvantages in many ways.

However, with my work as an artist, I do try to dive into a broader theme of Who We Are at the core and the Identity we relate too.

Naomi Pierre-Antoine, 13

It can be hard as a black girl growing up in world that is against you. You are always reminded that you are at the bottom in society because 1 I am black and 2 I am a woman. I’m scared for my family and friends who are of color will get stop by the police and get killed for some stupid reason. All of these videos and news articles about men and women of color get kill “because they look threatening” makes me sad, angry, and depressed at this world. I’m honestly scared of the police and hope I never have to confront them when I’m out walking privately. I’m scared for me and my family to go outside and them being pulled over. My uncles were just telling me how they got pulled over because the police thought they had cocaine when they were just eating doughnuts. I get nervous when I’m in a predominantly caucasian area and all eyes are on me. Thankfully a thing that is positive about being black is the support that you receive for your community. That’s all I have for now.

Logan Warren, 13

Some people maybe hold their bag tightly because they think every black person is a criminal. Some people think that I like watermelon because I am black. That I love fried chicken but I don’t or that I am a threat towards them. Being Black has taught me to keep my head up. And also you can’t judge people from the color of their skin because of their personality and who they are is more important.

Leila Di Giacomo, 13

Many people are starting to be re-segregated, and racial stereotypes are starting to come back more and more. I have an Egyptian mother and an Italian father, and over the years, I have noticed a difference in how I have been treated when I am with just my mother, versus just my father. For example, I travel a lot, and some of the things that I have noticed in the way people treat my mother and I in the airports is different. For example, when I am traveling within the United States with just my mother, more often than not we end up getting “randomly selected” to do extra searches. While on the other hand when I am with my father, I rarely get the same kind of searches. I may not have the same kinds of traumatic experiences as other people, and I am very grateful for that, I wanted to share my experience to help raise awareness about BLM.

Jamie Shen, 14

I grew up in a very white-dominated area. In school, I was one of the few Asian kids. Because of this, I was stereotyped quite a lot. Many expected me to be ridiculously good at math, and other more physical stereotypes. Throughout my life, I have been made fun of because “I have small eyes” or that I would be a terrible driver because I am Asian. Even pretty recently, due to the coronavirus, people have avoided me in public, j because I’m asian. I think I never really was affected that much because I would brush it off, or sometimes, I’d be the one enforcing these stereotypes. I am someone that uses humor as a coping mechanism, but sometimes even when I acted like I didn’t care or it didn’t bother me, there was still a little part that affected me. I think that going through these experiences made me who I am today, so even though they might be negative experiences, it has positively impacted me.

Veera Jetley, 13

I guess people expect Indians to be smart, so once I got like a 78 on my American Studies test, and ppl were like, omg you did so bad, or like, I did better than you I’m so happy! I was really annoyed because it’s not like I immediately get good grades, and I feel like I saw the expectations other people set for me, and I felt like I realized how judgy people and communities can be.

Ainara Bouzas, 13

Well, my race is white, since technically, European is white, but my ethnicity is Spanish. I don’t really like to be referred to as white because when I think of white, American comes to mind and I would rather be categorized as Spanish/Hispanic. Additionally, my skin is very pale, so people would always assume that I was white when I am actually Hispanic. Whenever I’d tell someone about my roots, I’d always get the typical “You’re Hispanic? But you look white!” I didn’t really like it when people tell me this. It’s not that it offended me, I just wanted people to know that there is more to me and my roots than just “looking white. That being said, if people didn’t think I was Hispanic, I wouldn’t get the backlash from being Hispanic. Hispanics are always getting looks and comments about how all Hispanics are “drug dealers” and other stereotypes like that. Not getting this backlash because people think I am white is technically seen as a positive but no race should have to experience that. To wrap it all up, I have been stereotyped in life based on my race. Some of them are negatives, some of them are positives, but as long as I know who I am and where I come from, it is enough for me.

Sophia Zhang, 13

So I think I’m kinda stereotyped to be smart. And I feel that affects my life negatively because I feel the pressure to get good grades.

Jennifer Fernandes, 13

My life has been affected due to stereotypes involving my race because people have assumed my intelligence and successes have come from the fact that I live in an Indian household and I have "tiger parents", which is not only offensive to me but also my family. Additionally, people pinpointed that I did well in school because I wanted to follow the common Indian stereotype of becoming a doctor, even when I was younger and didn't know what career I wanted to follow. Furthermore, people have assumed my religion based on my race. One of my classmates got thoroughly confused about my religion even after I explained it in a cultural presentation beforehand because he was so convinced that every brown person must be Hindu. These stereotypes have undervalued my accomplishments and have shown truly how ignorant some people are, yet I have to be quiet to "keep the peace". Stereotypes are outrageous devolve advancement in society.

Kamya Jariwala, 13

As someone who is the person of color, there have been many obstacles due to the color of my skin or the fact I am Indian. People have came to me and made rude remarks including things like, "All Indians stink of curry" or "Oh you are Asian you should know this." These stereotypical comments overall affected me negatively as it made me feel bad for the person I am despite the fact I cannot control the color of my skin or heritage. However, the statements did make me stronger and make me want to embrace who I am more. All in all, the stereotypes due to my race have had a negative effect on my life but have also helped me grow positively.