Why I Started Team End Racism
IN 2ND GRADE I WAS GETTING BULLIED A LOT AT SCHOOL AND DIDN’T KNOW WHY. MY MOM CAME TO MY CLASS VALENTINES DAY PARTY AND A CLASSMATE TOLD MY HER THAT THEY DIDN’T LIKE ME BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF MY SKIN.
MY MOM WAS REALLY HURT BY THAT AND TOOK ME OUT OF SCHOOL EARLY THAT DAY AND WE GOT CHEESEBURGERS AND MILKSHAKES. BUT SHE DIDN’T TELL ME WHY. SHE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO NOT TELL ME WHAT MY CLASSMATE SAID BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T WANT ME TO FEEL SAD.
THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER I HEARD A VIDEO MY MOM WAS WATCHING OF PEOPLE PROTESTING. I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT PROTESTS WERE AND I WAS ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS, SO SHE TOLD ME ABOUT RACISM. I HAD NEVER HEARD THAT WORD BEFORE. BASICALLY IT MEANS THAT SOME PEOPLE DON’T LIKE OTHER PEOPLE SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN. I ASKED HER IF SHE EVER EXPERIENCED RACISM AND SHE SAID NO, BUT THAT MY DAD HAS, AND THAT I HAVE TOO. SHE TOLD ME WHAT MY CLASSMATE SAID ON VALENTINES DAY.
I WASN’T MAD ABOUT IT THOUGH. I JUST FELT LIKE RACISM IS MEAN AND I NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. SO I TOLD HER I WOULD START TEAM END RACISM. I WANT EVERYONE TO BE PROUD OF THE SKIN THEY ARE IN AND APPRECIATE ALL OF OUR DIFFERENCES. WE STARTED LOOKING AT DIVERSE KIDS BOOKS ONLINE AND A LOT OF MY MOMS FRIENDS JOINED IN AND STARTED SENDING ME BOOKS IN THE MAIL. IT WAS AWESOME!
THEN MR. SEAN GUNN, YOU KNOW THE ACTOR FROM GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY AND GILMORE GIRLS, REACHED OUT TO MY MOM AND SAID HE WANTED TO HELP. SO WE DECIDED TO RAISE MONEY TO BUY DIVERSE BOOKS AND DONATE THEM TO MY SCHOOL’S LIBRARY! WE HAD A GOAL OF $1,000 AND WITHIN 2 WEEKS WE RAISED OVER $17,000!!! NOW I GET TO DONATE BOOKS TO MY CLASS, MY SCHOOL LIBRARY, AND OTHERS SCHOOLS IN MY DISTRICT! I EVEN WANT TO DONATE ART SUPPLIES WITH MULTICULTURAL COLORS SO ALL KIDS CAN DRAW THEMSELVES AND THEIR FRIENDS.
DO YOU WANT TO JOIN MY TEAM?
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Kohen Lucero
Team End Racism, Founder