By Fiona Tran ‘22
I have always considered being a bystander was a normal thing to do. I always thought that it was better not to get involved, scared of what might happen in situations where people are direct victims of racism and worried that I myself would make the situation worse. I have seen people being beaten in the middle of the street or even being harassed, but not done anything about it, and now looking back, I feel extremely guilty for doing so.
Being at St.Mark’s and our in our current environment, with our school becoming an Anti-Racist school, has made me become a lot more aware of the problems with being a bystander. To me, being a bystander now means indirectly supporting racist actions that may be happening, and giving a cue to the perpetrator that it is okay to perform these actions -which it’s totally not.
I have learned a few ways for myself to become more involved in the situation in order to turn myself from a bystander to a protector, and I would like to share some of my experiences with you.
Become more aware of your words. Sometimes we can make comments that seem innocent on the outside, but it can actually hurt someone’s feelings because they feel like they’re being attacked. Therefore, it’s best to not include comments that include generalization as well as stereotypes in our daily conversations with others.
Check up on your peers.When we feel like our peers are going through a rough time because of their experiences with racism, don’t be afraid to reach out and console our friends. This is the time for us to make them feel like their emotions are validated. If they start to push you away, give them space, and check up on them another time. As long as we’re showing our friends support and being there for them, it’s okay.
Don’t be afraid to call people out when they make racist comments. This is a way for us to help improve the situation. By calling people out, we’re showing that we care about others, and it allows us a chance to engage in a productive conversation to help educate others.
If the situation becomes physically violent and if you can’t stop the interaction, notify adults nearby. This is especially important because this will make the perpetrator become threatened, and they will most likely stop or run away. Also never crowd around a fight, this will just encourage the perpetrator to become more violent for attention.
Finally, educate yourself and be aware of false news and accusations . This means paying attention to the news and be more sensitive towards racist hate crimes around us. As upstanders or protectors, we don’t directly need to get involved in the situation at hand and try to fight the perpetrator, sharing correct information through social media is also a good way for us to help others.
I know that these tips may not directly apply to you, and some of us might take some time to warm up to the idea of not being a bystander because of our fear. However, it is extremely important for us to take part in an Anti-Racist movement to protect those around us, and even ourselves.