What Students Are Saying About Race and Racism in America By Nicole Daniels Feb. 18, 2021

This past fall, we held a Civil Conversation Challenge for students, inviting young people to engage in respectful, productive discussions about some of the most divisive issues of the 2020 presidential election. In a series of online forums hosted by The Learning Network, they reflected on their experiences of the coronavirus pandemic and debated education, voting and other issues they cared about. Across forums, they told us that “2020 has been a wake-up call.”

But the discussion that perhaps challenged students the most was our forum on the fight for racial justice, in which we asked them to share their opinions on protests, policing, systemic racism and more.

By the end, the conversation had generated over 2,000 comments, and if you read even a few of the highlights we feature below, we think you’ll see why we thought it merited its own roundup. Though we were impressed by student posts on all of the topics in our challenge, this forum was special.

Some students shared heartbreaking stories of discrimination. Several told us what it’s like to have a family member who is a police officer. And many wrote about becoming deeply aware of racism for the first time after the death of and the protests that followed. Throughout, the teenage participants showed a willingness to write candidly about their own experiences as well as to stretch to understand the experiences of others.

But this discussion is also a microcosm of a conversation happening across American society, and it mirrored its sharp divisions, too. Students engaged passionately on core issues like the existence of white privilege, the extent of systemic racism, the legacy of slavery, the effectiveness of protests and the role of the police.

Though the roundup below doesn’t feature conversations so much as individual posts, it is still easy to see how students handled these difficult topics thoughtfully and respectfully. We have published responses in thematic groups so that you can easily navigate the various points of view, but clicking on each student’s name will take you back to the original conversation so you can read it in that context if you like.

Thank you to all who participated and to the teachers who brought their classes to the discussion. As always, but especially for a forum as important as this one, we are grateful to be a place students can share their voices.

Please note: All student comments have been lightly edited for length and clarity, but we did not change individual words. Therefore, while it is Times style to capitalize “Black” when describing people and cultures of African origin, student uses of the word remain rendered the way they were originally submitted. “As a black girl, I have experienced a lot of pain because of my skin color.”

As a black girl, I have dealt with a lot of comments from others over the years pertaining to my skin color and other features that make me a person of color. I still remember girls telling me my hair looked “normal” after straightening it, or girls petting my curly hair calling it “different,” treating me not like a person, but an exotic object. During the summer, when moments like the protests took place, I realized how many of my “friends” weren’t willing to say anything. It made me feel sad knowing they decided to stay silent. I also couldn’t believe the city I was born in would later be known as the city where the life of Floyd was taken. — Naomi, Georgia

As a black young man in America, I feel every day is a new worry. I’d like to be able to go out and not be afraid of something happening to me, my friends, my family or other people of color. When the death of George Floyd occurred, something definitely changed. People became more aware of the fear that people of color go through in everyday life situations. I’d love to one day see a country where skin color doesn’t contribute to how a human being is treated. — Q, New York

As a young black girl, I’ve experienced racism numerous times. I’ve been called the N-word, been told that it should’ve been you instead of Breonna, etc. All things that hurt me. People wonder why these protests get so violent and so intense. It’s because racial inequality and all these problems aren’t being addressed. — Camryn, New York

As a black girl, I have experienced a lot of pain because of my skin color. A lot of my childhood friends were nonblack, and I often was made to feel like an outsider with them. Once I was told by a white classmate, “Wow, your hair is finally normal!” upon having my hair straightened for picture day. Suddenly, I felt as though my natural curls were abnormal, and I never wanted to be abnormal again. So, the internalized racism began to grow and flourish within me. I was so ashamed to be black, so desperate to not be seen as “hood” or “ghetto” that I demeaned my own people in order to raise myself up …

Today, I am very pro-black; I love my hair, and I love my skin. But it’s still hard to find beauty in the mirror when I go to look. Sometimes it hurts knowing that lighter girls will always be seen as being prettier than me, that I don’t fit most people’s idea of being the “acceptable version” of blackness. But I have to remind myself that it’s OK, things will change. I’m still young enough to help create a future where no other black girl will suffer like I did, or how I sometimes still do. — KJ, Texas

“This summer was really the first time that I was actually aware of the impact racism had.”

I am white, and I live in a predominately white suburban town. I have never been treated differently for the color of my skin because I am a product of white privilege. I was not very politically active until George Floyd was murdered and the Black Lives Matter protests began in May. Since then, I’ve tried to better understand the hardships that people of color endure as a result of racism. I think it is of the utmost importance to speak out against corrupt systems, especially if you are not affected by these systems. Because in my opinion, choosing not to speak up against something because it does not involve you is proof that the system is working. Turning a blind eye with the thinly veiled excuse “politics isn’t for me” can no longer mask selfish ignorance. This is not the time to be anti-political because silence is contributing to the blatant discrimination of black Americans. Hiding behind privilege instead of utilizing that very privilege to initiate change can no longer be justified. — Annie, New Jersey I think that this summer was really the first time that I was actually aware of the impact racism had. My parents have taught me, from a young age, that racism and injustice exist but I guess I did not understand to what extent. As a person who benefits from white privilege, I feel kind of guilty that I had not realized how it affected me before. Also, as a person who cannot yet vote, I am struggling to find ways that I can help make change. Do you have any suggestions? — L, Pennsylvania

In ninth grade, before the pandemic and killing of George Floyd, I used to be thankful to the police officers who stood at our doors to prevent any school shooting. After hearing of the George Floyd incident, I remember suddenly feeling like the police hadn’t made our school safer at all. To be honest, it infuriated me. I was raised in a bubble that taught me to think racism was extinct. To think that the police protected all of us as equals … George Floyd was a father, a son and a brother. Imagine seeing your son get murdered by the people that are supposed to protect you. As a white person, I will never truly understand the horrors of being discriminated against for my skin color. I am privileged, not because of what I am, but because of what I’m not. The best thing I and other white people can do is listen and share. We will never completely know what racism will feel like, but we can listen and try to understand the pain of being harassed or attacked by the people who are supposed to protect you. — Lindsay, North Carolina

As a kid with divorced parents, I have two sides of my family: My mom’s house, where we can have talks about racism and go to protests together; and my dad’s house, where the existence of white privilege is denied completely and even joked about. I’ve seen news, real and fake, about the police cases and the protests, and I’ve come to a few conclusions. The first is that people with privilege and power will do or deny anything to stay in that place, even when they have proof it’s hurting others. The second is that if it were only a few bad apples, those “bad apples” would be fired and arrested — but they’re not. The police system protects racists and always has, as a system born out of catching runaway slaves. Until we dismantle and rebuild every racist system in our country, racism will be a problem, and everyone will have the choice to educate themselves or stay ignorant. — Claire Elise, North Carolina

I am from France and I can tell that the death of George Floyd has touched everyone in the world and his death has awakened the spirits. Some demonstrations have been organized, and even though I couldn’t go, I have followed this history on the internet, on TV news and in magazines.

I believe that we can change the mentality at the moment. The new generation is respectful of each other and is able to change things. We are strong and determined to put an end to racism! — Julie, Paris

As a daughter of a police officer and a granddaughter of a retired police chief, I never once thought in my life that the hatred for law enforcement would EVER go this far. I was raised to treat everyone equally no matter what. With that being said, I cannot speak for people of color. What I can say is that police officers are trained on how to handle situations like the one with George Floyd. Like both President Trump and Joe Biden said last night [at the debate], there are bad apples in every profession and more could be done to weed out the bad cops. The officer that killed George Floyd deserved to be put away. Did his actions deserve a protest? Maybe. Should the protest still be happening? Definitely not. Police officers provide safety in a community and have been a staple for ages. Law enforcement should never make you feel threatened unless you are doing the wrong thing. We should support everyone no matter their color or occupation. So I agree that all lives do matter and that we should not only back the blue but back all other first responders and essential workers. — Kylie, California In the case of George Floyd, I believe that what happened was a terrible tragedy and should forever be talked about when racism in this country is brought up. However, the cop that murdered George Floyd killed him on his own accord, showing an example of individual racism instead of systemic … How the murderers of George Floyd are tried will change my opinion of systemic racism and other cases the organization Black Lives Matter has brought to attention. — Jason, New York

Systemically, the United States does not discriminate racially. Unfortunately, there are and always will be racist individuals in any and all countries. People of color disproportionately attend poorer schools because residents of a county must go to a school in that district, which is why many people generally leave poorer countries and move to richer ones …

I believe racism is a horrible issue at any given time, and legitimately racist individuals should be shamed. However, the word racism has lost meaning nowadays because of how commonly it’s thrown around. America is not a racist nation: it’s the world’s largest immigrant destination, but there certainly are racist individuals who need to change. So many people think that racism means stereotypes and saying “offensive” words, when legitimate racism (hate crimes and actual discrimination) is actually quite rare. — Kai, California

I am a white male and am right leaning. I feel that there should be a change in our police forces and our opinions toward other people. At the same time there is a different way to go about the situations than what the people of the Black Lives Matter movement are trying to accomplish. The Black Lives Matter movement is trying to , which is the opposite of what you want to do. With less money, the less officers we can have to keep us as a people safe. I believe that we should fund the police forces more so the police can get more training, have therapists they can go to, and so we can keep the police in the correct state of mind. In turn there will be change and less police brutality. I also feel that it’s not just black lives that matter, it should be . Having this mind-set you are able to bring everyone up to be equal, not just one race, so there is no “white privilege” or any other race getting more than another. — Spencer, Utah

“The first time I began thinking about my racial identity was when my family and I moved into a predominantly white town.”

Being a Latina makes my perspective on the topic of racial inequalities quite sensitive. The first time I began thinking about my racial identity was when my family and I moved into a predominantly white town. I truly wish my parents had prepared me more for the environment that we were moving into, yet I believe that deep down they did not expect to encounter racism.

Witnessing and sometimes even experiencing all the issues and injustices around me has propelled my interest in history, in hopes of simply understanding and helping to educate others. As a little girl, I would witness racism against indigenous people in my home country, Ecuador. I began noticing it at about the age of 12. It was only after studying the age of exploration, the Incan empire and colonization that I began to make sense of such horrible actions.

With the death of George Floyd, I began wondering how racial injustices are manifesting during the Covid-19 pandemic. I began thinking about access to health care and unemployment benefits. According to , 40 million people have lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic. How many of these people were minorities? How many of these minorities were able to receive relief from the government? Do all students have equal access to technology to facilitate their online learning? After witnessing so many acts of racial injustice, I worry that little by little, humans are losing their empathy and love for one another. — Paula, New Jersey

“Why are your eyes so small? Can you even see?” was my first experience with racial remarks. It was no big deal to me, thinking it was only fun teasing. I can vividly remember my first day of 6th grade, walking to my assigned seat and a girl laughs at me, pulling her eyes back to make them small. I didn’t know what to say and I thought I was being judged.

“So how does dog taste?” “Say hi to Uncle Kim Jong-un for me.” “Go back to North Korea.” When this was said, it created an image in my head that I wasn’t like anyone else, I didn’t fit into society …

While all my experiences were in the past, I considered the fact that society was changing and I wouldn’t receive any more racist comments but then Covid-19 hit. I no longer felt safe sneezing or coughing in public. Passing down aisles and places were frightening and my heart would race hoping I wouldn’t cough or sneeze. I would hold back the itch in my throat and the sniffle under my mask. People would back up against walls, trying their best not to touch me. This was my first experience with nonverbal racism. One step we can take to get closer to achieving racial justice is by starting in the household. — Lauren, California

My race has been classified as the “model minority,” resulting in negative effects on the fight for equality. The term model minority is based on the stereotype that Asian-American children are born “gifted.” It characterizes Asian-Americans as a “docile racial group that has achieved financial and educational success in the United States” …

It was only this year after discussing the protests occurring for George Floyd with other Asians that I had come to the realization that the ideas my family had perpetrated on me were the epitome of the “model minority.”

Putting Asian-Americans on a pedestal is destructive toward African Americans and the racial inequalities they face. It dismisses their struggles by using the Asian-American stories as testimonial representation to back up false claims against African Americans that classify them as “lazy” and “hostile.” It is important to discuss these matters as the only true way to create change is through an open mind-set and discussion. — Jay, New York

“The point of privilege is that you don’t feel that.”

So, I’m white, and I grew up in a town that I think is about 75 to 80 percent white. I grew up in an immense place of privilege — I never had to worry about being racially profiled, I’ve never experienced racial discrimination, and I don’t have relatives who have been unjustly shot or killed by police. And my guess is most white people, specifically white people in my community, haven’t. That’s why it was so frustrating over the summer, and especially after the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor to hear many of my peers try to justify their deaths. I think, especially when it comes to the topic of racial justice, we need to amplify the voices of black people and people of color, instead of silencing them because we, as white people haven’t experienced the same. I find it completely ironic when kids in my grade talk about not experiencing harassment or discrimination by the police or our security officers while being white. Like, of course we haven’t. The point of privilege is that you don’t feel that. — Eleanor, Illinois I grew up with white privilege in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Racism was not evident in my everyday life, and even in school I was not exposed enough to what happened and was happening in the United States. Yes, we learned about slavery and racism in the United States, especially racism during the time of Martin Luther King Jr., but we kind of just stopped there. We learned nothing of police brutality, white privilege, systematic racism, generational wealth, etc. Last year I was a part of a club called Community-Wide Dialogue that discussed racism issues that I had never heard of before. It was eye-opening. Every school should incorporate those extremely important topics into their curriculum, to help promote change, understanding and empathy. — Sarah, New York

4.9 million fathers, daughters, sons, mothers; humans were brought to Brazil to suffer a fate worse than death: slavery. 4.9 million lives were ended because of the color of their skin. And still, after centuries of pain and fighting to make their voices heard, black lives do not matter for some. Being a child from an upper-middle class white family, I never experienced prejudice in my own skin. I grew accustomed to the bubble in which I was raised, and it wasn’t until I reached a considerably advanced age that I started to look at my surroundings and realize how messed up our society is. Why I am privileged because my skin is lighter than someone else’s? It doesn’t make ANY sense … Even though the fight to end racism has followed us until this very date, the need to make even more civil rights movements makes me think that we did not advance as a society. We will remain frozen in time until equality is reached. — Maria, Recife, Brazil

“Racism does exist in people … but America and the system as a whole is not racist in any way.”

I think the term racism is thrown around a lot in today’s society. America, as a country, is not racist. Go to almost any other country in the world and you will have it significantly worse. Today, there is not a single law that gives opportunity or rights to one race that is not given to another. In other words, everyone in America is treated equally. That doesn’t mean there aren’t racist people, because there always will be. There are racist white, black and Asian people, etc., but the system, as a whole, is not racist. My overall point is that racism does exist in people, and it always will, but America and the system as a whole is not racist in any way. — Nate, Ohio

First of all, I do not believe racism and systemic racism is a very big threat in America as compared to many other problems or even to other countries. As a Chinese immigrant minority, I have not experienced nor heard of any racism in my life in the United States. Instead, I think America is truly one of the most diverse nations made up of people of all different races, cultures and religions. The people here are all-encompassing, and the police are human too. As many police officers say, “No one hates a bad cop more than a good cop.” — Jiayi, New York

Racism is a very strong topic and if I’m being completely honest, I hate talking about it. Me, personally, I think America is one of the most racially equal countries. A white man and a black man have the same opportunities to succeed and thrive. There has become a common stereotype that black people don’t have equal opportunity as white people. I love when I see black doctors, businessmen and other workers because I know how hard they have worked. Just as hard as a white man would have. — Nicholas, North Carolina

Everybody knows America has had a troubled past with slavery, civil rights, racial discrimination, the whole nine yards. So in response to all that, “Does the United States owe the descendants of enslaved people an apology — or, as some argue, financial reparations?” No. Most, if not everyone, in the United States right now didn’t own slaves nor were they slaves. If somebody owed them an apology, it was owed a long time ago. It is irrelevant now. The United States especially does not owe them financial reparations. Why should today’s leaders pay back on something they never did, to people that were never slaves anyway? If the problem is trying to help people who came from a slavery background and has a poor family, well there are plenty of financial aid programs for them. They want equality, yet also wish to get special things because of actions our ancestors made, not us. — Bella, Mississippi

“Police reform should most definitely be a priority.”

Police reform should most definitely be a priority. Personally, I think it should take a back seat to other issues such as equal opportunities and fixing our justice system, but it is still a top priority behind those issues. Although no one in my family is an officer, we know people that are officers. I do think that the police are necessary in our country, and without them our country could and would become a very dangerous place. However, there are still steps to be taken that would make our policing better. For example, police need to be better trained in de-escalation techniques rather than resorting too quickly to force. Another important reform would be bringing a psychiatrist on 911 calls. There are times when tragedies could be avoided if a person was calmed down by a trained professional, rather than enraged by police threatening them. Police should also be more involved and engaged in their communities. In many places, police are simply there as law enforcement, and nothing else. However, if police were to get to know their community and be able to bond with them in certain ways, there would be much more trust on both sides. In my town, although I haven’t interacted with many officers in my life, I see things that the police do to support and engage with the community, and I think that’s one important reason why no one in my town really has an issue with our police force. With all these reforms, I think policing could be greatly improved. — Jacob, Illinois

I personally don’t believe police reform should be a priority, police abolition should. There have been countless policies with the goal of reforming police departments and, clearly, reform movements have not stopped police brutality. This can especially be seen in the city of Minneapolis which had implemented many of the common reform policies before George Floyd’s murder. The first step to abolition would be defunding the police. A world without police or a defunded police department may be hard to imagine, but if you are like me and live in a predominantly white, wealthy suburban community, this is what that world would look like. The majority of resources are not going to criminalize members of the community, they are going to education and other ways of supporting the community. — Mira, Illinois

I disagree with the idea that the police should be abolished. Unfortunately, humans are inherently selfish, and in a world without police or law enforcement to stop them, people of all races would steal things for their own gain and society would be a mess. I believe instead, that the police system should be completely redone from square one. This way, it actually has a good foundation to build upon, instead of it being a lost cause to try and fix. — Devon, California

I feel that if law enforcement were defunded and there were a lot fewer cops, chaos would occur and nobody would be there to stop it. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely bad cops out there, but I feel as if the majority of cops are there to do good in the world, and to prevent chaos, not cause it … I do feel that cops are necessary and very important figures in everyday society because they keep order and try to make it fair for everyone. Although this isn’t always the case, most try the best that they can. — Andrew, New Jersey You have to keep in mind police budgets can be very large. For example, the Los Angeles Police Department has a budget of around $2 billion. Say you take only five percent of their budget and redirect it into funding schools, housing, health care, etc. That is $100 million, which barely affects their budget, yet it can make a large impact on the community. By creating a higher standard of living, in theory, the crime rate would drop. Now, there is no way to stop all crime, and yes, I believe police are important to stop the violence. However, another small fraction of their budget can go toward better training. Ultimately, the goal is to decrease the crime rate by putting more money into communities and having better trained police to handle issues in an appropriate manner. — Lauren, Massachusetts

“I think systemic racism today is absolutely tied to slavery, Jim Crow and discrimination of the past.”

Racism is still widely present in the United States in 2020, and it is straight up deplorable. It is even worse that schools for the most part are not teaching about racism in their curriculum … Redlining is the practice of outlining areas where communities of people of color lived and refusing those people mortgages on homes. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 may have made redlining illegal, but that has not stopped race-based economic discrimination. According to statistics from 2017, African Americans get denied more than twice the percent of white people on mortgage applicants, with Hispanics being around twice the percent of white people, at 10.9%. There should not be a reason for those differences. — Jordan, Arizona

Practices such as redlining, blockbusting, and higher mortgage and interest rates were used years after Jim Crow was made illegal, leading to incredibly segregated neighborhoods with less funding for education and infrastructure and more aggressive policing. This aggressive policing has led to police brutality toward Black Americans … Based on the continued dehumanization, criminalization, and discrimination Black people have continued to face, protests are more than reasonable responses. Even if property damage occurs, it does not carry the same weight as human lives. — Aspen, New York

Racism is very much alive today. Even if you forget about racial prejudice within the justice system or the hiring process or policing, minorities are still at a disadvantage. Slavery, Jim Crow and redlining completely ruined black peoples’ chances of building generational wealth. Even when they were able to start businesses or own homes, they got that stripped away from them. Just look at the Tulsa Massacre (or Black Wall Street). This accounts for the racial wealth gap where white families have about 10 times the wealth of black ones. The neighborhoods that were redlined are still impoverished to this day, and when you’re born poor, there’s a 66% chance you’ll stay poor in America. Black people shouldn’t have to be truly exceptional or truly lucky just so they can be afforded the same chance at a good life as white people. — Abraham, California

I think systemic racism today is absolutely tied to slavery, Jim Crow and discrimination of the past. Some people think slavery ended with the 13th Amendment, and while it may have ended in name, slavery-like practices and many discriminatory laws continued. The police system is built on a system of catching fugitive slaves. Many suburban neighborhoods, like the one I live in, are predominantly white because of redlining and racist practices that kept black families out of suburbs and restricted them to certain neighborhoods. Though racism and segregation may not be de jure anymore, it is certainly de facto and built into education, health care, policing, etc. — Stefanie, Illinois “I feel that there is no real definite solution to racism, but there are steps that can be taken to get closer to equality.”

As a young person, I have never really talked about racism due to the fact that many adults play it off or act as if there is no such thing. I am more privileged to be able not to hear about it. However, I really do disagree with the fact that adults and older figures try to avoid the topic. As a kid, I was taught to admire police forces as they protect me. But during times such as this, I have started to realize how unfair the police officers treat people due to race. So many kids are not taught such things because adults believe that kids should live a blissful life. I believe that the system should change as soon as possible, as informing others of racial injustice is so important … To be honest, I do not think racism will come to a complete end, unless humanity is gone. Yet, I still believe that there would be much less racism if people were educated and accepting of others. — Natalie, California

I feel that there is no real definite solution to racism, but there are steps that can be taken to get closer to equality. Step 1 would be to teach your kids how to show compassion and how not to judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. By doing this, the next generation will grow up knowing how to not judge others by the way that they look but by the way they act and the decisions they make. Step 2 would be to educate this generation and the next about racism and the correct history behind it. It is mostly ignorance that causes people to make poor judgment on others and treat others unfairly and that is what I believe is one of the main causes of racism. Step 3 would be to enforce the change of history books and to encourage communities to work for each other not against each other. — Aidan, Illinois

One of the relics of the racism that has been gaining more coverage recently is the lack of diverse narratives in our history curriculums. I am lucky enough to be a part of a new class in my district called United States History Perspectives, a class that focuses on the untold histories of oppressed peoples. I have already learned more about the culture of Indigenous people and the struggles of African Americans this year than I have in the other 11 years of my education combined. — Isabela, Washington

I live in a mostly white town and before these seven months I knew about white privilege and police brutality, however I was ignorant to how large and deeply rooted the problem is. I think literature and stories are a great way of educating and learning about racism in our country. For example, during quarantine I got to read one of my new favorite books, “The Hate U Give” by . I really like how it made me sympathize with the main character and helped me understand a little better how unfairly people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were treated. I wish people in this country who still believe America is handling racism would educate themselves about the oppression of African Americans. If everyone worked toward understanding American flaws then we might be able to make progress toward a country with true equality. — Zoe, New Jersey