There are a lot of things kids of my color who go through things and I can’t speak for everyone, but I come from neighborhoods that are very populated by Asians so it’s very integrated.
"So when I’m arguing with someone who is ignorant with race, I feel like it’s my job to use my platform to speak up for other people of color."
I don’t want sound like I’m saying that Asians don’t experience discrimination or racism or anything but from where I come from, the environment I live in, there is not a lot of discrimination towards me. I feel like I see it more towards Hispanic people and Black people, and I have a platform and I want to use my platform to speak out for them because I don’t really face a lot of discrimination with the aggressors at school, so that gives me the privilege to speak out.
Acknowledging my privilege comes from my character. I was raised to not think that I’m better than other people, and just watching what my friends go through, even from what I’ve read from the other students it kind of gives me perspective. Everyone's problems matter but in comparison to theirs it’s like comparing apples and oranges, I can’t really imagine going through that. So I realize that gives me a way to speak out. I grew up with a very diverse group of people, so I not only experienced my culture but then, when I started going to school, I started to experienced diversity of other races. I think my exposure to all of that contributed to my character towards race.
I’ve seen a lot of people who are white that struggle with money and they say that they don’t have any privilege because they don’t have the nicest things.
"A lot of people don’t understand that white privilege isn’t a privilege of your belongings or everything you have, it’s the privilege of having a platform, speaking for other people, and things like not having to worry about getting shot if you get pulled over."
It isn’t a privilege on inanimate things, it’s about not getting dirty looks from people just walking on the side of the road, or not looking at someone and they’ll just tense up.
We should always respect and acknowledge people’s differences because that’s what makes them special and unique, and with race we want to make sure it comes down to how we’re treating each other as people. You want to make sure you’re respecting everyone as a person because when a lot of people are being discriminatory towards you, they aren’t respecting you as a human. It comes down to how the person was raised to treat other people, and I think that’s the basis of racism."
Monteen Nantharaj