Speaking Out Against Being Stereotyped

Have you ever been stereotyped in any of the following ways?

• You enter the library and because you are wearing a backpack, you are asked to check it at the door.
• You and your friends have noticed how long it takes to be waited on at restaurants.
• You are stopped frequently for no apparent reasons by police when you are driving.
• You stop in at a local convenience store to buy snacks with friends, but the clerk tells all of you, "No kids are allowed in the store unless they're accompanied by an adult."
• The acting/dancing group you belong to just finished a successful performance, and all of you are excited and maybe a even a little too loud as you leave the theater. You are all on the way to the train/bus station (or to the parking lot), and suddenly a member of the group notices you are being followed by a security guard and/or police officer.
• It's almost Mother's Day and you want to get your mother something really nice to show her how special she is to you. This year you started early and saved up enough money to go into that expensive boutique in the mall where you had previously saw the perfect gift in the window. You enter the store. And instead of a customer service representative offering their help, the security guard asks you to leave.

* Reprinted from Positive Teens Magazine Volume 2 Issue 2, Mar/Apr 2000

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