Each year, eighth-grade social studies students at Lagunitas Middle School participate in something called a Change Project. It’s a chance for us to identify and address a problem in our community. Due to what we see and hear at a national and local level, we’ve decided on a Change Project where we’re going to try to combat hate speech.

The rapid increase in the amount of hate speech around us and in the media encouraged us to survey the students at our middle school. We found out that over 54 percent have used hate speech. That was a wake-up call that it’s time to take action now before these phrases and words become commonplace.

First, let’s define hate speech. Hate speech is speech that attacks someone for an element of their appearance or identity that they may not be able to change. Language changes over time; there are many words that were used frequently that we now recognize as being deeply hurtful. For example, if you are trying to convey that someone or something is stupid in the past it was acceptable to say, “That is so retarded.” That implies that someone with intellectual disabilities is somehow less than. That’s one example, but much of hate speech is focused on race or sexuality.

Whether it’s Alexi McCammond, the up-and-coming editor at Teen Vogue who recently lost her job due to racist tweets from her past, seeing countless videos on social media, or hearing it directly from our friends, we understand that using hate speech can have serious consequences. In fact, there have even been instances in which students have had their college acceptance rescinded because of their use of hate speech online. An article from Inside Higher ED states, “At least two colleges have rescinded athletic and admission offers to incoming freshmen who made racist comments about Black people on social media in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. Other colleges have begun investigations or said they will discipline students who also posted hateful and racially offensive messages.”

Not only does hate speech affect the person being targeted, but it also affects everyone around them. It creates an unsafe environment and makes people feel like they can’t be themselves. If someone is constantly using a word that negatively affects you, you can’t ignore it. No one should ever feel like they have to hide who they are.

We believe the first step in creating a positive change in our community is getting the word out. When you encounter hate speech online or in conversation it can be hard to know what to do or say. We don’t want to shame people for not knowing the impact of the words they’re using but rather educate them so they don’t make those mistakes again.

It’s vital to think about what you can do in a situation in which hate speech is being used. Here are some suggestions we found that will be helpful when you hear hate speech. You can: ask them why they’ve used hate speech and what they’re really trying to say; explain why the language is offensive and how it negatively impacts people; or not laugh when a “joke” that consists of hate speech is being used.

From our survey, 35 percent of kids who use hate speech use it to be funny. If you find yourself in a situation like this, please think about how you can help solve the issue. Instead of perpetuating it, nip it in the bud before hate speech becomes even more casual than it already is. 

We invite you to think about who you want to be. How do you want the world to perceive you? Do you want to be someone who makes your friend scared to come out of the closet or make someone feel that their identity is invalid? Or do you want to be someone who lifts others up and supports our inherent differences? We need to be actively thinking about the words we use because they matter. 

 

Kylie Clarke and Nika Arye are both 14-year-old residents of Woodacre.