School bullying and its culture of hate has a long shelf life; victims hesitant to seek help

The hardship of discrimination, racism, school bullying (including social media) during a time when hate crimes and discrimination against minorities in the state are increasing can have an impact that last years and might be hard to overcome.

According to civil rights experts and community youth justice workers, school bullying fuels a culture of hate with many victims hesitant to share their experience or seek help.

They spoke on the topic of bullying at school during a national news briefing hosted recently on zoom by Ethnic Media Services.

“Some forms of bullying are in fact acts of hate. And some acts of hate are crimes. While others are violations of other civil rights laws, some may be lawful, but incredibly harmful, nonetheless,” said Becky Monroe, deputy director, strategic initiatives and external affairs with the California Civil Rights Department.

Monroe said civil rights issues must be recognized “at the heart of this discussion around bullying. All of these, demand our attention, whether they are acts of hate targeting young people or targeting adults. But none so more than when children are targeted for hate.”

Monroe said federal law requires schools to provide all students with a safe, supportive and inclusive learning environment free from discrimination and harassment.

“Schools have a legal obligation to ensure that students are not denied opportunities, treated differently, discriminated against, or harassed because of their race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability,” said Monroe.

Monroe said unlawful discrimination and other acts of hate results in real harm not only to students but also to entire communities.

This year, school boards around the country – and in several school districts in California – have introduced anti-LGBTQ+ legislations.

State Attorney General Rob Bonta has promised to protect all LGBTQ+ students from attacks from state legislatures to school boards that threaten to isolate, discriminate against, and harm transgender and gender-nonconforming youth across the nation and California.

Chino Valley, Rocklin and Orange school districts are implementing policies requiring staff to also notify parents if a student requests access to sex-segregated school programs and activities, or bathrooms or changing facilities that do not align with the student’s biological sex or gender.

A state judge placed on hold Chino Valley school district’s policy outing transgender students to parents in early September.

In June, Bonta released the 2022 hate crime report that showed a 20.2% increase in reported hate crime events in California, as well as a sharp spike in hate incidents against LGBTQ+ residents, along with Blacks and Jews. Hate crime events involving sexual orientation increased by 29%.

Monroe said that according to data from the Trevor Project, students that feel supported and safe in school are much less likely to experience suicidal thoughts and engage in self-harming behaviors.

Anahí Santos, youth wellness coordinator for One Community Action, which works in high schools of Santa María in the Central Coast, said that bullying can also come from “our own community.”

As a Mixteca from the state of Oaxaca in México, which has a population that is predominantly indigenous, Santos said “what we see here is that the Latinos are bullying people who are indigenous, youth who are indigenous.”

Santos has noticed, in the Central Coast and Central Valley, youth who migrated from Oaxaca or Guerrero bully newcomers from the same town or state as them.

Santos said One Community Action works with high schools to provide social and emotional support for students with many not having access to therapy or healthcare.

Santos said there is a campaign effort in Oxnard ‘No me llames oaxaquita’ which as many people with brown skin in the central coast are called the demeaning term oaxaquita a form of bullying that makes fun of people.

That is the reality that many Latino indigenous students encounter, Santos said.

“It really is like our own community hurting itself,” Santos said.

Santos said One Community Action advocate for ethnic studies classes so people can learn and understand what life is as a brown or black person.

“There is just a lot of colorism and racism that’s embedded within the Latino culture itself,” Santos said.