Lance Lawrence
December 13, 2019
Lance Lawrence discusses the role race plays in his life. High school is a battle in its own, but the addition of being a minority makes it more difficult.
Outgoing and funny, with a love of both going out with friends and staying home by himself, West junior Lance Lawrence was born to a Caucasian mother and a black father. According to him, his experiences of being a different skin color than most has affected how he looks at life.
“There’s a lot of racism in this school,” he says. “Cliques form based on different groups, and there are groups you can’t be a part of because of your race. It gets pretty tiring being a different color at this school.”
He explained that race plays a role not only in school, but his everyday life.
“It makes for a lot of people looking at you funny,” Lawrence states. “People don’t trust you. People will think they’re better than you, or that you’re not as smart. In convenience stores they think you’re going to steal or rob them… I find it hard to get jobs because of my race.”
Along with this, Lawrence explained that there is no need for racism, or treating people as though they are different.
“You don’t get anything out of it,” Lawrence explains. “Don’t see me as a black guy. I’m not some foreign person because I’m black.”
Dealing with this is a daily task, and Lawrence commented how his parents are “always giving him advice” on how to cope.
“They say to not feed into what they’re saying,” Lawrence states. “I don’t have to accept what they’re saying, because all the time people are going to be racist, and try to put you down for who you are.”
Similarly, Lawrence would like to assure other minority students to “not let people bring you down because of who you are. Don’t change yourself because your white friends think you should be like that.”