“You Shouldn’t Talk to People With Black Hair”
同志社国際中学校

２年

板東由里子

Racism. What images fill your mind when you hear this word? Does itmake your heart filled with hatred against our society? Does it make you feeltired? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? However you feel about it, wemust be reminded - it is us who created it. We, humans, are so phenomenal,

make a civilization to make our own kind go through so much pain.

“Apartheid.” This word means “apartness” in Afrikaans, one of the many
languages in South Africa. Apartheid was a system of regulated racial
segregation that was introduced to South Africa and Namibia in 1948, andended in the early 1990s - yes, fairly recent. South Africa was dominatedpolitically, socially, and economically by the country’s light-skinned people.
When I first went to South Africa in Grade 3, I had no idea about the historyof South Africa and what it was like there. I thought my stay would be justthe same as the other countries I have stayed in. Some new friends, favorable
neighbors, and a welcoming public. Thus, I was shocked when I was first
faced with discrimination, which I remember so vividly.

I went to the gym for swimming sessions every week. One day, as I wasputting my bag down, I noticed that the warm pool wasn’t working. As I was
stretching, a little girl, about 5 years old, came in with her father. They put
their luggage next to mine, and the father went outside for a moment. Thenthe friendly girl said to me, “The warm pool is broken!” To that sweet
reminder, I agreed with her. As I was finishing my sentence, the father of thegirl came back in. He glanced at me with a stern look and ushered her out tothe 25m pool. As they were leaving, I overheard their conversation:“Did she talk to you?” the strict voice of the father. Then, to my surprise,
the words that came out of his mouth were, “You shouldn’t talk to people

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中学生―Ｉ部門

radical, and proficient. And yet, we are still deficient and self-centered that wewith black hair.”

I was startled. Do I look like a threat to his daughter because I haveblack hair? Am I not supposed to talk to younger children because my hair isblack? Then, it hit me. I was Asian. So . . . Asian and colored people aren’t
allowed to talk to white people? That’s what they’re teaching their own
children? I was going through a mix of emotions, topped with confusion. I
only figured out later, shockingly, that this was relatively common in SouthAfrica.
中学生―Ｉ部門

In my opinion, I don’t think racism is something we can put a stop to. I
think it is something in our human instincts and woven into the fabric of oursociety. Of course, I don’t mean that racism must continue to be expressed
between us because I believe that that would be impossible. Ideally, we would
hope for a population that all 8 billion people would unite and eternal peace
could be an easy achievement. But our community doesn’t work like that. We
all have our own opinions and sense of values, and some people agree anddisagree. That’s why there are debates, arguments, and wars around us. And
also, why racism is a thing. It’s just the principle.

However, by all means, we have solutions. We always have a choice tonot express our hate towards people. First, I think that everyone must learn
and be able to control their feelings. Second, hatred and jealousy can beturned into strength. We should make positive mindsets driven by thesenegative emotions. For example, I learned to use the opportunity to work
harder so I can get the chance to look back and say, “Look at me now!”
Doing this helps me boost my confidence, and I feel more like myself thanany other time.

In conclusion, my current opinion is that racism is something that cannot
simply be erased in front of us. I’m no TED talker, I’ve only been around for
fourteen years. It’s obvious that I’m barely a fragment of this huge universe.
But as long as I live, I believe we can always find ways to tolerate it and use

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our unique experiences wisely. I hope, that one day, I’ll find a conclusion tothe problem of racism that most people would agree on. And until then, I’ll
keep on thinking.

中学生―Ｉ部門

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