I don’t intend to upload a black background with a hashtag, just for the sake of it! That’s why I chose this particular image, it caught my attention … you see … each image is different and is perceived differently by each person.

Stereotypes, prejudices, Racism … yes they are three different words, but one is inextricably linked to the other. So what is Racism? A stereotype that gradually leads to prejudice and this phenomenon in turn leads to Racism.

Ever since I was a child – I may have been 8 years old – when someone would tell me: “Watch out! This guy is gay”, “Watch out! This woman is from Albania!”, “Watch out! This dark-skinned person, who knows where they come from! “,” Be careful of how you dress, you are a woman!”, I would respond in indignation: ” Yes, so??”.

Racism begins with small phrases such as the examples above and root deeply in the mind of a young child raising it with the fear that a person that is different is also one that wants to harm it, or even worse, with the belief that the child is superior. What a distortion of reality!!?
In truth, I’m tired, I’m exhausted, I feel ashamed, disgusted, desperate for what I see that is happening on the Planet. The incidences may be miles away or even next to me, but they keep happening again and again. Do you know what the worse thing is? That most of us think, “I am powerless. How can I change the world on my own?” and yet dude, you can. You are not alone! There are many of us and if one of us takes the first step, the others will follow.

Be courageous and fight! Don’t just sit idly and wait for people to change on their own. Be empowered, react, do something! WE are the World and only WE can change it!

One last thing before I close this post. I’ve met quite a few people in my life so far, and some of the best I know were dark skinned, foreigners, with different religions mine, gay … If I were to give them a common name, I would call them HUMANS, because they deserve it. (Yes, I mean the word “Human” is a one that some people don’t even deserve to pronounce).

Eftychia Pantelaki. I am 18 years old and this year I am sitting for my entry exams into University, as a pupil at the Experimental High School of Heraklion in Crete and my plans for the future are to help reduce human rights violations and focus on the issue of “stereotypes-prejudices-racism”.

email: e.pantelaki@Outlook.com

Here is the link where I found the image: https://www.libre.gr/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/%CE%9A%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%AE3-2.png