STUDENT
THE DUALITY OF THE WHITMAN EXPERIENCE by Austin Mboijana We have come to a crossroads, a culmination of events. A global pandemic and multiple instances of racial prejudice, exposing deeper institutionalized racism, have come to the forefront of our country’s most pressing conversations. These societal challenges have provoked much of my generation to demand justice for all, in hopes
doesn’t fully accept any minority, events like these reinforce racial stereotypes and prejudices that linger in the back of every person of color’s mind. Throughout my years of walking Whitman’s halls, I’ve overheard fellow students make racist jokes or even say racial slurs. These words, whether or not they were said
change. Of all the abuses of power publicized, the death of George Floyd in particular deeply bothered me. To watch a man with hazelnut
perpetuate the feeling of isolation that many people of color feel at Whitman. This racial insensitivity that students know to be quite common at our school is partly a result of the lack of education on both Black history and the history of racial slurs that are still used to make
knee on his neck was appalling and terrifying. While attending a June protest at Black Lives Matter Plaza in D.C., I laid on the hot asphalt alongside hundreds of other protestors for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the amount of time George Floyd was held down, and I couldn’t help but think how that could’ve been me under different circumstances. Why should someone’s skin color cause them to live in fear? It shouldn’t. But in this country, many people of color still do, and problem nor a simple one. But it’s a problem that we as a country and a community have a responsibility to address. While no one of us is able to single-handedly solve the systemic racism rooted deeply in our institutions nor the internalized racism ingrained in the minds of some Americans, I can offer my perspective as a student of color at Walt Whitman High School. tions that made me hyperaware of my race at our predominantly White school. One day from the beginning of my freshman year stands out. a White student that ended with the Black student being handcuffed and shoved into a police car while the White student was escorted into the building with a teacher’s hand grasped strongly around his arm. what kind of message does this send to a young Black bystander surrounded by his predominantly White friends? In a society that still
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Programs like OneWhitman that seek to elevate and share the perspectives of minorities at Whitman can effectively combat this issue. But to conquer racism, students must invest in educating and bettering themselves by fully engaging in these types of programs. Let me acknowledge that I’m in a unique position compared to some African American students at Whitman. Having grown up in the Whitman cluster, I’ve had an easy time making friends early and feeling welcome in the community, but many other students of color come to Whitman under different circumstances and feel excluded and unwanted. I’ve seen several new students of color enter our school and have peers stereotype or judge them solely on account of their skin color, home life
experiences of students of color at Whitman, the community must know that our school clearly has shortcomings when it comes to promoting equity and equality for all. In this unprecedented year, I’ve seen efforts by my peers — like with the student-led Black Lives Matter march in Bethesda — to better themselves and their communities by acknowledging and denouncing racism, but students and community members still must work on being actively anti-racist. munity often lacks the perspective to fully comprehend and address its own share of the nationwide issues of racial bias and injustice. While some of my classmates will never understand what it’s like to live in this country with dark skin, having honest conversations allows us all to gain perspective and better understand the magnitude of the other pandemic we’re still facing, one that spreads and kills, too: racism.
graphics by SAMANTHA LEVINE
It may sound harsh, but the reality at Whitman is that students and staff too often fail to admit and rectify their lack of acceptance of some people of color.
