Dear Madam or Mr. President,

I’m thirteen years old, I live in Massachusetts but I originally lived in Spain. I’ve always heard about racism and discrimination against many people considered minorities in our society. This is very important to me because I, as the next generation want a country that doesn’t discriminate others because of their sexuality, gender or ethnicity.

We’ve all heard about many statistics and polls that usually tell us the same thing, that Hispanic and African Americans are punished unfairly compared white people, or that white people earn much more than Hispanics and African Americans. These are all examples of racial discrimination. There’s also discrimination to women and to the LGBTQ community. This doesn’t mean that these two examples of discrimination are more important than racial related ones. But I’ve noticed that people talk about these issues less. Sadly discrimination happens in many places, even in school. For example, multiple research showed that “Teachers hold students of color to lower academic expectations, which have a tendency to become a self-fulfilling prophecy for many students. Students of color also experience disproportionate suspension and expulsion rates and are less likely to be selected for gifted and talented programs. In college, professors are less responsive to inquiries from students of color, and implicit bias can influence the grades professors give students whose work is identical.”, Lisette Partelow, U.S News. There are even more examples of discrimination toward more minorities outside the classroom. Discrimination in the classroom, is the only discrimination I experienced, and I can’t imagine people who are personally affected by discrimination daily.

So what is it that I’m asking? I understand that it is not something that you or anyone can just change in a day. But you could raise even more awareness, get schools to teach kids that we are all equal, support all minorities, like the LGBTQ community, talk about it from many perspectives. Because Madam or Mr. President you now represent our country, you have the power to influence your people. You can set an example for those who look up to you.

Sincerely,

Blanca