What in the World?

I’ve had to take time to process what’s been happening in the world lately. My views and thoughts are simple. Black Lives Matter. Growing up as a black, African American female, I've experienced various situations where I now understand to have been racial discrimination. When you’re young, you don’t know. Let me take you back to one situation that had an effect on me as a child.
 
When I was four-years-old, I attended a daycare center. One day at daycare, my teacher hit me in the mouth for no reason at all. I didn’t understand why she did it but when she did, it caused me to bite my tongue, the pain was unbearable and my tongue started to bleed uncontrollably. When my father picked me up all I could do was cry and hold my mouth. He asked me questions on the way home but I was unable to talk. My mom saw me as soon as I walked in the house and she knew something was wrong.
 
I hugged her when I walked in the door and stuck my tongue out to show her the blood. After she doctored on me some, I tried to talk the best that I could to tell her what happened at daycare. “My teacher hit me in my mouth,” I said. My mom was furious. The daycare was closed, so she was not able to make a special visit to find out why my teacher would do such a thing, she was also not able to schedule me a doctor’s appointment until the next day.

 
My teacher was a white woman. I know that all white people are not racist but now that I'm older I still can't imagine why my teacher would've hit me in the mouth for no reason, unless that she was possibly racist. The next day my mother called the daycare and spoke with the manager. He begged her not to come to the daycare and promised that my teacher would have consequences. I’m not sure if my teacher had consequences for what she did to me, however in the next month she was fired for something else.
 
I still have the scars on my tongue from when my teacher hit me in my mouth; because of this, I will never be able to forget it. I learned at a very young age, that I cannot always trust people who are in leadership positions. My teacher was my leader at daycare and I looked up to her. Revisiting these memories aren’t pleasant, however they remind me of why God chose me to later become a High School English Teacher. I am changing the narrative. I know I may not be able to change the world, however I will do my best to change the hearts and minds of my students and other people around me, in a positive way.
 
I have love for all people. We have to continue teaching the younger generation what’s right because they’re going to be the ones to eventually eradicate systematic racism. The older generations were taught racism and some successfully passed it down to their children. I do believe that there are more younger people and even people in my generation who are now against the ideologies of another race being superior.
 
Let's all keep pushing for better days and be the leaders who the younger generations can trust. Life is not a fairytale, but when we put our faith in God, he will always take the bad and turn it into fuel for something good.
 
 
Love Trish

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Black Lives Matter