The Unfiltered team is excited to announce that we are available as guest speakers to talk about our experiences with racism and allyship. We are certainly not experts, but we know how powerful in-person (virtual/video) conversations about personal experiences can be. We are also listening to voices in the community, and in response, we are working on developing a more sustainable strategy for youth mentorship in town. Please reach out to us if you would like to learn more; if we can't cover all of the topics you'd like to discuss, we will do our best to connect you with someone who can! 

 

Below is a summary of what was discussed at our June 25, 2020 speaking event:    

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The Church of the Little Flower in Berkeley Heights, NJ asked our Unfiltered team to speak about a few of our experiences to 22 confirmands and their families. With Father Andy, the Director of Youth Ministry Dan Grossman, and coordinator Michelle Grecco’s assistance, four members of our team were given another opportunity to share and educate within the community. The Church leaders hope to teach the predominantly white group of confirmands ways to support their Black and Non-White brothers and sisters and expose them to examples of the racism that resides in their community.

 

Victoria Vanriele shared her experiences as a high-performing student athlete and the dismissal of her work ethic and belittling of her accomplishments. On numerous occasions students suggest that the primary reason she would get into certain prestigious universities was a result of being Black and not her credentials. It was implied that she would take away a spot from a white student and because universities take into account diversity in their admissions decision, she would get priority. While it is true that universities do indeed consider diversity, it is because they recognize that people who live in predominantly Black communities are often at an unfair educational disadvantage due to inadequate resources but all else being equal, they are just as capable of excelling as other races. Even so, Black students are admitted into selective universities at a very small number, hardly ever a critical mass. She also talked about how it has been suggested to her that she does not belong in a distance-running setting because many stereotype Black people solely as sprinters.  She conveyed to the group that everyone has a responsibility to proactively rid the community of racism and for everyone to see Black people as being equals and deserving of every good opportunity. 

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After graduating from Governor Livingston High School, Mikayla Sanchez was able to reflect on the topics that were addressed in her History classes. Throughout high school, she was often given the opportunity to sign up for presentation topics before class. The choices included, and were not limited to, topics such as the Industrial Revolution & Technology, Women in the War, and various social movements. In AP U.S. History II, she decided to present about the Black Power Movement and the work of Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in forming the Black Panther Party. However, she noticed that some topics were often left out of presentations due to the fluctuating number of students in each class. This meant that if you didn’t happen to be in her specific block on the specific day that she presented information from the external research she did outside of class, there was a chance you may have never learned details about how the Black Panther Party came into existence or how Stokely Carmichael initiated the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the Civil Rights Movement. She stressed that our district, and the United States education system as a whole must do better to touch more on Black History, especially in the United States. It is not acceptable for students to come out of over twelve years of schooling only knowing about slavery, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr. She emphasized that we must do better to become educated and active allies to the Black community and this starts from learning more than the one-sided history that we are taught as students in the United States.

 

Constantly hearing the phrase “you’re basically white” in her predominantly white town often silenced Tara Prabhu when she saw bias because she feared falling into the stereotype of being the token person of color. Tara used this opportunity at the meeting to speak to the confirmands about what she and others can take away from past mistakes in order to work towards being a better ally: striking a balance between actively listening to marginalized voices, consistently working to be aware of both issues facing Black people and the privilege associated with being a non-Black person, and speaking up when injustice occurs, even when it’s uncomfortable. Tara talked about certain microaggressions and statements that should not be made towards people of color that are commonly said and may seem okay because of that, but however are offensive and inappropriate. She also addressed historical issues pertaining to current institutional racism and privilege during the Q&A.

 

Throughout high school, self-deprecating humor was Kenedi Facey's safety net when she felt awkward about directly addressing the racist comments and microaggressions that often came her way. "You're pretty for a Black girl" were words that she received throughout her time at Governor Livingston high school that made her feel excluded from what she thought beauty "looked like" at the time. Kenedi shared a story about a time when she was denied entry at a high school party and was called racial slurs due to the color of her and her friend’s skin. Kenedi acknowledged her own privilege as a Black woman living in a predominantly white, affluent town, and pointed out that she is also learning how to be a better ACTIVE advocate for change. She emphasized the importance of stepping outside "your bubble" and forcing yourself to get a little uncomfortable. She addressed ways to keep the uncomfortable conversations going by encouraging White and Non-Black POC to check in with their Black friends, checking their own implicit and explicit biases, and by continuously educating themselves by listening to their Black peers and watching educational movies that explore race and highlight social injustice in America. 

 

After we each shared bits of our story, we opened up to a Q&A portion where confirmands and their parents were allowed to ask us questions and we were able to clarify some important terminology associated with the movement and educate the youth and adults further.

 

We left the discussion with a few call to action points: check in on your Black friends, check your racist friends, don’t expect Black people to be the ones to educate you, and educate yourself through numerous methods. It is easy for Black people in predominantly white communities to feel alone and unheard so it is critical that you ask them how they’re doing occasionally. We face racism, blatantly or with microaggressions, sometimes daily so a simple check-in can make all the difference. That being said, you must also act if your Black friend is experiencing racism. It is uncomfortable to call out people but if staying quiet is at the expense of a Black person’s feeling of security and comfort, then it is something that needs to be acted upon. Have those hard conversations and continue to learn. There are books such as The New Jim Crow and movies such as "The Hate You Give" that can be read and watched to expose you to some of the racism that Black Americans face daily. With easy internet access as well, you can research anything within seconds! These are simple calls to action that can be put in place immediately that can help the fight for racial justice and equality in Berkeley Heights and around the nation. 

 

We are so grateful for the opportunity to share with these rising freshmen, as they will be entering high school soon and can affect change. They are also the future of this country. We hope that the Church will continue these discussions, ingrain in the young men and women in our towns that racism should have no place here, and actively provide them with tools to combat it. 

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