In a World of Racial Discrimination, Size Does Matter
Maybe fear in others is a good thing especially when it’s the result of bullying.
I was picked on relentlessly when I was younger. Growing up Black in white suburbia, the bullying was, well… chef kiss. I didn’t just receive the garden-variety “early to late adolescent” harassment, I had the distinction of being the only Black kid in an all-white school, making me a frequent target. This dynamic made every day seem like going into battle with no weapons or ground support.
I learned very earlier on that my existence in such an environment meant the tormenting would continue as long as I dared occupy the same space as the majority.
As early as elementary school, the preferred flavor of harassment by kids was to target me because of my skin color. Arguably, it was innocent curiosity more so than malicious intent that motivated my peers at that time and age. “Why do you look like that?” “Why are you dirty?” “Does that come off?” “Why are you burnt?”
It wasn’t until middle school that this insidious curiosity pivot to more pointed, more personal attacks. At this age, kids were beginning to form social groups and learning the…
