It’s about time, we as a nation, realize biased language

by Hannah F., 6th grader

Biased language can pass people by. They don’t realize the whole story or background. It could be racist or offensive and people don’t take a stand. My classmates and I are trying to prove that Christopher Columbus is not the “Great Guy” that everyone knows today. Why should there be a Columbus Day?

People Are Not Realizing.

It’s about time, we as a nation, realize biased language.

There have been times that people use biased language without realizing it. One of those times is in regards to Columbus. This man “discovered” America. Now take a moment to think about that, is it true? Because if you do think that, you may have to think twice about what you’ve been taught. Christopher Columbus arrived to the new world encountering Native Americans. The Native People had found the world before Columbus, so why do we honor him? Think about it.

Columbus did not treat the natives well at all. In fact, he slaughtered the Native Americans. And we as a nation honor Columbus. But if you dig a little deeper, the true explanation is that we are honoring a murderer. We might as well just call it “Murder Day!” We are honoring a man who did not treat others fairly.

Biased language still happens today. During Hurricane Katrina, there was a local grocery store where a white couple was caught “finding” food, while a black person was caught “looting” food. Is this right? Is it okay to tweak the truth because of someone’s racial identity? I think not.

A final note to add. Authors are brainwashing the minds of children today. While doing a study during class, we all checked out picture books on Columbus from a library. Almost every single book left out the real truth behind Columbus, saying he was an “expert sailor” even though many of his travels were failures. As you are reading this, think about what you can do to stop the repetition of biased language.

“Life is like riding a bicycle,

To keep your balance

you must keep moving.”

-Albert Einstein