Information Effect Project

Natalie Sheppard

ENG 2021
When you see someone being bullied, what do you do? Do you stand aside, do you watch, do you go
about your business as if nothing is going on, or do you stand up for the individual? Many people state
that they would stand up for the individual without hesitation. However, in regards to racism, it is very
rare that this is the case. Many try to ignore racial injustice, especially the individuals that are not
directly effected by it, thus creation more suffering in the BIPOC Community.

There was a Malaysian girl at Utah State University who every day was forced to sit three feet close to
her white bully. After eight months of racist bullying, the girl ended her life. Her boyfriend is now filing a
wrongful death lawsuit due to the university’s lack of action even after the situation was brought to
their attention.
“The department ‘knowingly allowed one of its students to be verbally abused, intimidated, and subject
ed to cultural and racist discrimination by favored students over the course of eight months, when she 
was rendered so emotionally devastated and hopeless that she committed suicide,’ the lawsuit claims.”
Messer, O. (2019, August 5). Utah State Student Killed Herself After Eight Months of Racist Attacks—and
the School Did Nothing, Suit Claims: She killed herself after eight months of racist verbal abuse from
other students, according to the 91-page complaint. Now her boyfriend is suing. Daily Beast (New York),
N.PAG.

This happens more often than you think. Our concept of justice is widely divergent depending on the
color of our skin. Television has conditioned us to see open conversations about race as pointless or
dangerous. This causes several people to ignore the fact that there is a very real problem going on in
regard to the mistreatment of people of color. No one wants to listen to the other side, and white
people are quick to claim that individuals are pulling the “victim card”. There are several individuals who
refuse to see color, and these individuals are just as problematic.

In the film, Facing Racism, individuals from different backgrounds were gathered to discuss openly
about race in a workshop. The basic premise is that we all grow up with engrained perceptions about
race related to individuals who are ethnically different.

The problem with refusing to face racism is that hate crimes go unpunished and unnoticed. Individuals
are losing their lives daily, and the people responsible are getting away with it because no one will stand
up. In 2019, 57.6% of the motivations for hate crimes in the United States was a race/ethnicity/ancestry
bias. Of this, 52.5% of the offenders were white and 84.6% were 18 years or older.
To unlearn racism, individuals need to face the uncomfortable reality of these situations and be ready
and willing to have open communication regarding race. We must face the assumptions that we have
and learn to communicate in new ways.
 Sources
1. Daria Roithmayr. (2014). Reproducing Racism : How Everyday Choices Lock In White Advantage.
NYU Press.
2. Robert T. Carter, & Alex L. Pieterse. (2020). Measuring the Effects of Racism : Guidelines for the
Assessment and Treatment of Race-Based Traumatic Stress Injury: Vol. First. Columbia University
Press.
3. Jessie Daniels. (2009). Cyber Racism : White Supremacy Online and the New Attack on Civil
Rights. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
4. Messer, O. (2019, August 5). Utah State Student Killed Herself After Eight Months of Racist
Attacks—and the School Did Nothing, Suit Claims: She killed herself after eight months of racist
verbal abuse from other students, according to the 91-page complaint. Now her boyfriend is
suing. Daily Beast (New York), N.PAG.
5. Moira Productions. (1996, January 1). Facing Racism. In Films On Demand.
6. Sekhon, N. (2018). The Chokehold. University of Louisville Law Review, 57(1), 43–59.

7. Hate Crime Statistics. The United States Department of Justice. (2020, November 16).
https://www.justice.gov/hatecrimes/hate-crime-statistics.