Print friendly version

Spotlight on Racism

Young People

Shayla

Shayla Ryde Secondary College student

What do you do?

I am a student at Ryde Secondary College.

How old are you?

I'm 14.

Where were you born?

Sydney, Australia

Where did you grow up?

Ryde, Sydney

Describe your cultural/religious/ethnic family background

I am of Maori decent, born in Australia. My religion is Anglican.

Do you know any other languages? If so what are they?

No

What is your favourite place in the world and why?

Central Coast. My brother and sister live there. Their home is surrounded by beaches left,
right and centre. The locals are very polite and nothing bad ever happens in their area.

Have you ever experienced or witnessed racism?
How did it make you feel?

Yes. Shameful, just listening to people saying such hurtful words to other people is just sad.

What did you do about it?

Well, obviously I didn't just stand there and listen to these words being spoken to my friend.
I looked at the other person and told her to be quiet. I never get angry at people, and well
this might have been the first. She just shut up and walked away in shock. I'm not saying
that fixed the problem, but at least I got her to walk away! Later I told my friend not to listen
to anyone if they are being racist but to just ignore them.

What advice would you give kids experiencing racism?

Ignore people who are being racist, because they are just wasting your time and their breath.
Those who have the time to be racist probably have nothing better to do.

What kind of Australia would you like to see for our children?

Where no one has to put up with Racism. So people don't have to step out their front door
and feel upset by who they are.