A child does not automatically know what 2 + 2 is, they do not know that fire is dangerous and hot. They learn and adapt behaviors and knowledge through observations and teachings. In today’s society, racism is still alive, and unfortunately, these racist notions are being taught to children.

One’s surrounding environment plays crucial roles in the influence of racism. Sean Prince, part of the African American and Millbrook communities, told me their opinion on environmental influences. “Racism is something that all begins in one’s environment. You aren’t born with the values you possess.”  Media, parents, and teachers attribute ideas to children’s innocent minds. Fox News is just one example of how media encourages racism. Blaming minorities for the cause of economic struggles is a common statement given by prejudice news anchors, like Neil Cavuto, who said, “Minorities caused the financial crisis.” This “blame game” is some of the first forms of racism that children hear. Other media influences include what the media doesn’t show, such as police brutality videos, hiding the fact that racism is alive.

 Aside from media, a parent’s influence plays a strong role in a child’s life. Some parents use the “colorblind” approach, which is the belief that not discussing racial behavior will make children grow up to be non-prejudice. Hiding children from the ideas of racism does not benefit them nor protect them from being racist. In fact, by being knowledgeable of racist beliefs, young people can understand why it is wrong and disgusting to think and act in such a way. Subconsciously saying racist remarks is another way of influencing children. Those who are surrounded by racist language and behavior continue to express these beliefs out of ignorance. It is a parent’s job to teach their child right from wrong, which is what sophomore Waverly Noble’s parents did: “My parents just always taught me to treat people with respect, no matter their race, beliefs or sexuality. Those obviously don’t convey who you are as a person.”

 Racist beliefs are also influenced by teachers. White-washing history is a way to protect children by not providing them with the correct information needed to thoroughly understand the system of oppression and prejudice. Keeping children educated is the only way for them to learn and grow apart from the racist prejudice that affects our country. Praising clearly discriminatory people in history is another form of teaching racism. Christopher Columbus discovered America; that is what we are taught. What is hidden from us in history is that Columbus enslaved the Native people of the land he ‘discovered’. Only identifying the “good’ in history is a form of hiding injustice and corrupt ideas from our young and growing generation.

 An occurrence in a nearby Wake County high school involving a creative writing teacher shows just how degrading some of our educators can be. For the sake of privacy, I will refer to the teacher as Mrs. B, and the student I spoke with will be called Sarah. “My teacher went on to tell us a story about her time teaching a predominately black school. She claimed she always felt there was a black woman deep inside her. She then told us her black alter ego’s name, BoQuesha. As a white woman, Mrs. B cannot claim to have ‘a black women inside of her.’ It’s offensive, and implies that the only thing that makes a person black are the stereotypes surrounding their race.” Because of her educator status, Mrs. B directly influenced how her students’ perceive the world, and led them to believe such ignorant jokes and remarks are okay. Additionally, the name choice Mrs. B chose as her alter ego reinforces the idea that African Americans have a sassy or careless attitude, which is completely unacceptable and untrue.   

 Stopping the spread of racist behavior and remarks can only be accomplished by understanding what is right and wrong to say, and how the words and phrases we say have more meaning than we think.