I keep hearing the same excuse: “they are young,”, “they need to mature”, “they were just trying to be funny”; but this is exactly why it is our job to make sure that our youth is getting a proper education in the first place. I am from  El Paso, TX, and after seeing a social media post of young people dressed in white supremacy hoods, calling it a “costume”, and the people in the comments defending it- like it was some harmless joke, I am beyond tired of adults pretending this lesson will magically teach itself.

Racism is not edgy. It is not dark humor. It is not harmless dress-up. These symbols are tied to real violence, real terror, and real harm done to marginalized communities, especially Black people and other people of color. When young people do not fully understand the weight of this material, and the adults around them laugh it off, the damage spreads far beyond one post or one night.

I am calling on El Paso schools to make sure students are taught, in age-appropriate ways, why hate symbols are harmful and why racism is never a joke. We ask schools to prepare kids to live in the real world- that includes telling the truth about the history that these symbols and how they have continue to negatively impact us to this day. Teaching respect and historical understanding is not extra. It is part of building a safer, more honest community.

We cannot keep acting shocked every time this happens and then do nothing to prevent the next one. Teach the history. Teach the harm. Teach kids to recognize that some things are not costumes and NEVER will be. If you believe El Paso students deserve better guidance from the adults in charge, please sign this petition. Our children deserve to live in a a better place, and it’s our responsibility to take the steps to make it happen. Please consider sharing with a friend so we can spread this message and be the change we want to see.