SIPHELELE MAMBA

Too many black people had to suffer in private schools. Our parents sacrificed so much for us to be able to attend these institutions only for us to be traumatised. For our entire schooling careers we were exposed to racism day in and day out. We were monkeys. We were kaffirs. We were gangsters. We were house niggers. We were every racist epithet under the sun. We were lazy. We were too much, too loud. Even as children, our existence was criminalised. We were too intimidating. We managed to be all of these things and more but what we never were in their eyes, was children. We were never allowed to fully enjoy ourselves as children. We never had the benefit of the doubt. We had to grow up much faster than our white classmates whose racism was always chalked up to adolescence. We had to endure so much hardship in these schools because our parents believed that they were giving us a chance at a future brighter than theirs. Some of us developed mental disorders that we’re still battling today. Some of us are still struggling with our self-esteem and self-worth. A lot of us are suffering from imposter syndrome. We fought, cried, protested, complained but we were never seen or heard. Unfortunately, there are still black children experiencing this trauma till this day. They’re stealing black children’s youth. We can’t sit back and let the cycle continue. Enough is enough.