Native American Foreign Place

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”You stink, smelling like a Haitian.” I felt my stomach drop as the statement rolled off my classmate’s tongue with ease. The words hit me, causing my body to ache with fear and frustration. Each word struck like a dagger despite the conversation having nothing to do with me.
September 2012 was the beginning of eighth grade Confused and slightly intimidated at this foreign place, I stood amongst a crowd of kids from all seven different elementary schools in our 2.2 mile town. However, after only a month in, I was accustomed to the school. I walked through the hallways with ease, making my way to Ms. Lee’s class for homeroom. Sitting down in my usual seat, I spoke to a couple of friends, the classroom getting louder as several different conversations began going on at once. In the …show more content…
At a point, it seemed as if the whole classroom was engaged in the ‘stacking’ , the ebb and flow of laughter carrying out into the hallways. Half-listening, the conversation only fully grabbed my attention when I heard someone yell out ,”you stink, smelling like a Haitian.” The room laughed again while I sat frozen in my seat, a forced chuckle escaping my lips. I felt sick, ashamed even. No one actually knew I was Haitian. It never came up and I never felt I needed to bring it up. Therefore, in that moment, my classmates didn’t realize how their laughter was making me feel. According to them, it was just another ‘stack.’ It definitely was not uncommon to hear “Haitians stink. They don’t wash. Haitians do voodoo.” walking down the hallways of my school . It was one of the reasons why I avoided bringing up my ethnicity. Before arriving at OPA, I was secure in myself and my identity. However, once I began attending, the insults to my ethnicity shook up that security. I began feeling self-conscious about my smell, making
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