Historically, Black people have been mistreated primarily by the very institutions (schools, hospitals, prisons, etc.) whose purpose is to unbiasedly serve everyone in the community. This has always been problematic but has recently been brought back to light after the murder of George Floyd. Floyd’s murder is not an isolated incident; Black people are killed and are in perpetual danger from racists daily. In 2019, there were only twenty-seven days where a police officer did not kill someone. Anti-bias training is not working. It has to start sooner! The system is broken; we have to scrap it and start over. If we want to have a world that does not tolerate racism, we must enforce anti-racism classes as early as elementary school! 

People are not born racist, it is a learned trait. If we start teaching kids early on to be anti-racist, we can build an anti-racist country! Schools must implement an anti-racism based education; These classes should have diversity training and teach the history of racism against Black people. They should educate about systemic racism, oppression, and white privilege that has existed for centuries and still exists today. We also want to highlight that these classes should be designed and explicitly taught by Black educators. 

Our country was built on the exploitation of Black people. White people will never know what it feels like for Black people to grow up in a country that only favors the White race and has continued to undermine the existence of Black lives. However, anti-racism courses can teach people to stop being complicit and silent. People will learn to speak out and stand in solidarity with Black people who face injustices every day. We know that other races also experience discrimination and prejudice, but it is important to note that anti-racism classes with initial focus on Black history is the first step towards universal equality for all races, as the Black race has always been diminished when compared to other more “model” minorities. Black lives have to matter before all lives can. Let us be allies to our Black brothers and sisters and uplift them during their time of need.

There is power in numbers and we need everyone’s support to challenge the status quo and change the current education system. We need to defund the police and fund our schools instead! Let’s demand that the government change the curriculum and implement mandatory Anti-racism classes in all U.S. schools!

Cover Image Credit : https://blacklivesmatteratschool.com/