RED BANK: MLK ESSAY WINNER RECOUNTS FIRST STING OF BIAS

I grew up in Red Bank, NJ, in a small, close-knit community where many of my neighbors were Latino.

My next-door neighbors in the blue house were Mexican, and three houses down, all the families were Mexican. I was constantly surrounded by my culture. I spoke Spanish with my family, which was the only way I could communicate with them.

For a long time, I primarily spoke Spanish, and I struggled with English at first. My challenge in learning English was reflected in my primary school grades, averaging lower than the rest of my classmates. It was frustrating; I couldn’t keep up with my classmates, and many of them spoke English at a much higher level than I could. This struggle continued throughout much of my childhood, but over time, I began to speak English more fluently and effectively.

It was during this time, in elementary school, that all my classmates were invited to a sleepover.

The mom who was hosting the sleepover was a white woman, around 30 years old, with her daughter, who was in my class. She invited every other white girl, except for me. At first, I was confused. I didn’t like how alienated I felt from the rest of my classmates. I didn’t know how to react to this, I felt hurt and confused.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand why I wasn’t invited, but I could sense that it had something to do with what made me more “different” between me and my classmates. I wondered if it was because I spoke Spanish at home, or maybe because my family and I looked different. It wasn’t until later in my life— that I truly began to realize why I wasn’t chosen to go to the sleepover and the deeper broader issue of racism.

I realized it was less about the sleepover itself and more about a feeling of not belonging. It was as if being excluded felt like a rejection of my identity, my culture, and who I was as a person.

This experience stuck with me, and as I grew older, I began to realize that what happened was a reflection of a larger issue: racism—specifically, racism against Latinos and other minorities. Many Latino kids face similar challenges—feeling like they don’t belong because of their language, culture, or skin color.

Looking back on this experience, I am reminded of the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight for equality. Dr. King fought against the kind of exclusion I felt at that sleepover, where people were judged for the color of their skin or their cultural background. He dreamed of a world where people were not judged for the color of their skin. That dream deeply resonated with me, as I realized that I, too, deserved the same respect and opportunities as anyone else, regardless of where I came from.

Then as I grew older, I started to fully embrace my Mexican culture, despite its challenges. I was no longer that reluctant, confused seven year old but rather I learned to embrace my Mexican heritage. My summer trip to Mexico made me appreciate my culture even more, seeing its colorful cities, corner stores with dogs roaming around, and tortillerias.

Today, I carry these experiences with me and am proud to be Mexican-American.