I'm an average American girl. I go to an average public high school. I have friends. I watch television. I do homework. I am just like every other teenager. Oh, I forgot to mention I am white.
My high school has an estimated 150:200 ration of African Americans to Caucasians. We try to get along. Nobody tries to make waves, even though sometimes it does happen.
My Honors Chemistry class last year was predominantly white, which is odd for a class at this school. One day, we were getting ready for a lab, a white boy (let’s just call him Bob) yelled across the room to one of his African American friends (his alias will be Fred). He yelled "Hey Midnight!" Other African American boys called Fred by that nickname, and I guess Bob thought it was okay too. Fred got really angry really fast. He started calling Bob racist, and he even threw a chair. Bob started fighting back too. Both boys got suspended, and for a few weeks communication between the races basically ceased to exist. It was terrible.
However, I’m called “that skinny white girl,” all the time. I get it in hallways, in the cafeteria, in gym class. I mean, not only is there more than one “skinny white girl,” but it takes away part of our identity. Instead of being individuals, we are all demoted to being “skinny white girls.” I mean, I’m sure that some of the people that call me a “skinny white girl” don’t know my name, but that isn’t really an excuse. They could learn my name. We could become friends.
Another thing, I never call anyone “skinny black girl.” If I did, I could face criticism for categorizing someone based on their skin color. If I did, I would quite possible be called racist. It would be the Fred-Bob thing all over again, or at least that is how I see it happening.
Frankly, I’m tired of being a “skinny white girl.” I don’t understand why it’s acceptable to call me that. I don’t understand why this issue has not been addressed before. Racism goes both ways.
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