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Not All Black Girls Are Loud

Skyler Craighead,
Laplace, LA

I chose the six words, “Not all Black girls are loud,” because this statement represents a common stereotype that many Black women and girls face. Often, people from other races assume that all Black girls are loud, aggressive, or overly expressive, when in reality, we each have our own unique personalities and ways of expressing ourselves. This stereotype can make it harder for quiet or reserved Black girls to be seen as authentic or “Black enough,” which is unfair. I wanted my race card to challenge that perception and remind others that we shouldn’t define a whole group of people by one narrow idea. Everyone deserves to be seen as an individual rather than a stereotype.

Too Loud, Yet Still Not Heard

Siera Adams,
Conyers, GA

I live in a country that stereotypes black women, like myself, as “loud”. If I laugh, it’s too loud. If I talk, I’m too loud. If I express any form of joy, I’m too loud. People want to silence, arrest, and kill us for the noise we make. However, when I use my voice to protest the injustices and wrongdoing of my people, I go unheard by many.

-A senior at Peachtree Academy

Child of deaf mother, hearing world.

Heather,
Fishers, IN

If you have never heard about deaf culture, please go and read about it. Growing up the oldest child of a deaf mom, I never remembered learning sign. I didn’t know we were different. I didn’t know I was loud! I still don’t know when I am being loud. I love my mom. I am so glad that I had the ability to have the experience of another culture growing up.

Black Is Just An Insecure Label

R.E.A.L. Talk,
High Tech Middle Media Arts,
7th Grade Trailblazer

To me race is just a made up way to put people in groups, based on the way they look. When did that start to matter? Stereotypes, Racism, Segregation, Slaves, and Wars. Stereotypes are a big part of race and racism. The following are the most common stereotypes for Black people. Blacks` are know to not know how to swim. Blacks are from the ghetto. Blacks all have afros or not done hair. All Black Women are sassy, angry, and loud. Black dudes are super violent by nature. Black people need White people to save them.

It really hurts to think people don’t know the truth about who I really am. Stereotypes really hurt people, I have experience with it many times, I get very hurt thinking that’s what people think about me. Just look at the Doll test. I think that people never really learned the truth about race. In class we busted the myth of race. RACE IS FAKE.

Race is Nothing to Change our Nation

Race is not real. Race is the classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, ancestry, genetics and lifestyle. Well that’s what people used to think. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) “All humans belong to the same species and that ‘race’ is not a biological reality but a myth.” When the European settlers/explorers came to america they saw people who didn’t look like the others. I bet you’re thinking well race came first. The settlers decided they were more superior which created racism and then race afterward. Think of it as if you were looking at an ants and you naturally squish the ants most people do. There is no way to tell a person’s “race”, not by skin color hair color or eye color. Race is not Real. Still don’t think so do some research, look it up. Many people would agree with me.

Racism definitely exists for a reason

Johnson,
USA.

I am sick to death of people trying to pretend like there aren’t legitimate reasons for racism. Not always, but they are there. I was raised not to be racist and people say racism is a learned behavior…yeah…I learned it myself from being around blacks. Black people can’t see it like everyone else because they’ve been raised that way their entire life so it’s completely normal and acceptable behavior to them that they cannot see objectively. To them it’s normal to be loud, obnoxious, confrontational, and inconsiderate. I know this is not all blacks but through countless personal experiences in several different areas/states/locations/situations I would argue that it’s most of them….especially when they’re around other blacks.

I have seen, numerous times, black people act like normal everyday regular people until another black person walks up and they suddenly turn into something completely different, their mannerisms, speech, accent, body language….everything changes….they go from being a black person to a n***** in 2 seconds….wtf?!? This is a trait only significant to black americans. I’ve had every other race (including African) of friends and never witnessed this with them but have with every single African-American I know.

Which leads me to another point….Your parents were born here? You were born here? You’re American!! Just because youre black doesn’t always mean you came from Africa anyway. Black people do exist on other continents you know? Dave Matthews is African American and he’s white.

Anyway here’s an example: I was in a gas station a few weeks ago here in Columbus it was around lunch time so there was a long line at the counter comprised of whites, Mexicans, Asians, Indians, and Somalians. The place is pretty quiet as people are patiently waiting in line…..

In walks 3 black people. Immediately start being loud and obnoxious, drawing attention to themselves, yelling at each other and cackling at the top of their lungs. Two of them start cussing each other out over what kind of pop to get and making absolutely sure they’re doing it loud enough for everyone to hear. Then when they get in line they all immediately start yelling and complaining to the clerks to hurry up, and loudly talking about how they’re stupid and should hire people who know how to do their job and blah blah blah….Nobody else in line was complaining at all understanding that sometimes places get busy and things might take longer than usual…not these black guys though.

Want another?? My step-mother’s Daughter-in law was raised in farmland Ohio around nothing but white people her whole life. I grew up on the south side of Chicago before moving here around the age of 16. She would always argue with me that racism was BS and black people were just the same as white people…etc.

She moves to Charlotte NC, gets a job as a waitress. Within only one month she’s been spit on, cussed out several times, and almost physically assaulted (all separate incidents) by the black clientele. Treated with respect by every other race. So after like almost 40 years of preaching anti-racism–she became a full blown racist in a matter of weeks NOT because of white people she LEARENED to be racist from blacks.

“Are you Irish?” I don’t know.

Picture-019Andee Bateman,
Noblesville, IN.

As an adoptee with flaming red hair, I was asked this question frequently. I found out at 47 that I am not – my biological relatives are from Wales and Norway. In the meantime, I wore the ‘red-headed-step-child’ moniker like a badge. I was loud, round, sassy and nothing like my svelte, demure female relatives that were genetically related to each other and devoutly relgious. I married an Englishman, who is also adopted, and we named our children Connor, Padraig and Finn. We have since found out that he is mixed race Asian/British, probably out of India or Pakistan, so we have a unique mix all around. As I have taught my kids about how the Irish were persecuted in early American history, much as Muslim American’s are persecuted right now, I hope that they learn and understand that it is never ok to make that judgement about people. Even though they look positvely garden variety white, it is my goal to teach them that at many points in time, they could have been on the receiving end of this kind of prejudice just because of some random genetic markers – and that is not ok. My oldest son has posted the humanist principles on his wall, and he champions the bullied kids at middle school. I guess we are doing it right.

Time to use my “white” voice

Susan Cissoko
Provo, UT

In order to be as professional as I can be in the work place I feel I have to put my white voice on. Not many people in Utah are use to loud, vivacious people. So when at work I have to act differently. My ethnicity is Latina. I am what you would stereotype as a Latina, loud, brash, blunt, and yes brown. I some times come up with beliefs that the only place one can be their selves is when they are surrounded by their ethnicity more. For example lets go to Rancho Markets you have people speaking Spanish, latino music playing, and lots of moms feeling free to get onto their kids. However place that same person in Shopko, or Target, they act completely different. That’s what I mean by time to use my “white” voice.

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