Principal Jeff Bishop of Santa Ana High School upset parents due to him calling their children racist.
Bishop claimed to see racist posters that said, ”Build the Wall” and other negative comments. Racism is a very common issue and is not just happening at this Southern California high school. Students in the school have had their fair share of derogatory comments and dirty looks. Racism is not only in this high school though and for Junior Andrea Henriquez she as well has had a fair share of experiences with racism and discrimination.
“My sophomore year, students would look confused or tell me to shut up whenever my friends and I would speak Spanish,” said Henriquez. ”I shrugged it off at first and let it go but it really hurt.”
Racism is not limited to just one school or area of the world. It happens everywhere in the halls, bathroom and even classrooms. Many students, like Henriquez, do not want to cause scenes and just turn the other shoulder. Some do not even report it so the situation cannot be solved. Although other students like freshman CJ Harris have a believe that a stronger approach should be taken with these types of altercations.
“I don’t care who it is. I will never allow someone to treat me that way, in fact, the first thing I’m doing is going to my parent, ”said Harris.
Although Harris is only a freshman, he has upperclassmen friends who have experienced forms of racism. He has even been warned by his parents to be smart and cautious when it comes to these sensitive situations. Parents have a large role in racism at school because they mainly have the power over the school and student behavior. If their child is being treated wrongfully, those in a higher power will listen and make changes. It is all about speaking up. Parent Ondina Henriquez has serious concerns about her child at school and wants to ensure that she is safe and in “well hands.”
“As a parent, if my child is not okay, I’m not okay,” Ondina Henriquez said. “So when my child tells me she is being discriminated [against,] of course I am going to complain and make sure [it] is fixed.”
When Ondina Henriquez was a child, many of her classmates teased her for not being able to speak proper English. She recalled times of being bullied, mocked and laughed at. She was called names such as “beaner” and “wetback.” When she had her kids, she wanted to make sure that they would be put in a safe environment where they could be free to be who they wanted and speak what language they desired. Ondina Henriquez was not informed until recently that her daughter had been discriminated for speaking Spanish.
“I did not realize how upset my mother would be until I saw her reaction. I did not understand the seriousness of the situation” Junior Andrea Henriquez said.
The leading cause of teen death is suicide according to www.cdc.gov; furthermore, as said by Bullying Statistics , “Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims”. The website also explains that suicide related to bullying can result from any type of bullying, including verbal. Some feel like there should be consequences for their actions but other feel like that is not enough.
“Punishment needs to be enforced for these students as well as some type of class to get them to empathize with victims. There needs to be a change. ”said Harris.
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