Where’s the Love?: Bringing Awareness to Bullying in the Black community

n a world where racism and self-hate thrives, young Black students consistently face a surmount of pressure from society, and ourselves, on how to act, how to talk, and how to be that it becomes hard to ignore.
On September 8th of 2022, the L.S.U Black Student Union and S.U. students came together at L.S.U’s campus to enjoy a light-hearted game of Jeopardy. When the game grew intense, the LSU students, engaged on social media platforms and remarked multiple racial slurs at the SU students.
Though the students were also Black, it is necessary to discuss the differences that we try to aim for in heated arguments with one another, such as status, texture of hair, tone of skin, etc. This is a form of bullying that often goes unnoticed, soaks in with self-hate speech, and connects with the issue of racial bullying that Black students who attend predominately white institutions face as well.
LSU student, and studio art major, Kayla Halls expresses her concern for the ongoing issue with racial bullying, by stating, “I went to Baton Rouge High. It is a predominantly white institution. During those times there were remarks being made about my IQ level, and the constant asking of, ‘Are you sure you should be here?’ as well as many microaggressions.” She goes on to elaborate on her experiences as an LSU student with racial bullying by deciphering an instance where Kayla, and one of her good friends were assumed to be buying marijuana from a fellow Black student, as he did his work quietly.
Many Black students are often judged, or stereotyped against before they even have a chance to show their personalities and true selves. The effect of constantly being stereotyped and judged, makes students of color lack motivation, as their intelligence and drive is determined by the color of their skin. The mental health of students in these situations can deteriorate and severely harm their identity.
Kayla also mentions the steps many have been taking to break the barrier between people of color (POC) and non POC such as students, faculty, and administration. This allows people to see how critical steps toward stopping this mental attacker, known as racial bullying, is.
Ariyanna Nichols, a psychology major, elaborates on the effect racial bullying can have on ones mental health. She allows room for better understanding by explaining that depression, anger, anxiety, and ideas of suicide, that are common effects of racial bullying.
The commonalities of racism and self-hate can cause the action of many bleaching their darker skin, in goals of making it lighter, changing their hair, or their form of speech to please society. We as Black people have to educate ourselves and remain vigilant of the attacks on our mind, soul, and body so we do not pass these traits to the next generation.