Our school, is a small private institution situated in NJ consists of around 130 students. Everyone knows each other and there are rarely big squabbles, other than the occasional argument. We are one big family!
However, lately, we have had some issues with hate instances. For example, a student called another student the N word.
To begin with, we have admitted about twenty-five new students, this year, from around the world, mostly China and Cambodia. Ever since they have arrived, we have attempted to build friendships and welcomed them to our school. They have responded just as warmly to us.
The problem is that overseas racism and hate crime is not taken as seriously as its done here (due to our history). So some of the new students didn’t understand the weight of said word. After learning the mistake they had committed, they apologized to their classmate.
Things like this motivate me to strive for our goal of spreading the word about hate crime. If someone had told these students the consequences of their actions beforehand they would not have even thought about it. That’s why raising awareness is so important. If we can reach as many people as possible and show them the negative effects of hate crime, we can make a change in this world.