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Racism in the CNMI
Racism is alive and well in the CNMI. It is a common problem that has been around for decades, and doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. As a student, I have seen how widespread racism is in schools. Racist remarks and actions can be heard and seen everywhere. Students often imitate languages, call each other names based of race, and use racial slurs and stereotypes in real life and over social media. Schools and parents should take more action against this behavior, because while some students may take their behavior as a joke, racism is never truly acceptable.
People should learn to treat each other with respect regardless of race. Race should not affect how a person sees another person. The judgment of people is natural but the judgment should be done based on a person’s behavior, not his or her race. Also, people should learn to stop assuming that an entire race acts a certain way because of their experiences with one person from a race. One person can’t represent an entire race.
While racism is not a problem that can be fixed immediately, there are ways to alleviate some racism. I suggest that parents teach their children to treat other people well, regardless of race. Also, the children should be educated on racism in the past and present, and why it should be stopped. They could study the works of people who have contributed to stopping racism and the history of their countries, such as Nelson Mandela and the history of South Africa.
Rio Ayu Shadow
Saipan Southern High School student
