Originally posted in USA Today. Written by Greg Toppo.
“Many young people still see the USA’s intractable problems as rooted in race. In a May 2012 report, Race Forward: the Center for Racial Justice Innovation found that “a large majority” of young people in the Los Angeles area believed race and racism still mattered significantly — particularly as they relate to education, criminal justice and employment. In follow-up sessions in five cities in early 2012, the center found that “racial justice” was the most significant interest among young people.
Do I feel like I live in a post-racial society?” asks Izabelle. “Not at all. Not at all.”
A recent Rutgers University graduate, Izabelle now serves on the Sadie Nash board and mentors younger students. She grew up in and around Newark, but her parents grew up in Haiti, where skin color matters perhaps even more than it does in New Jersey. “Racism in Haiti looks a little different from racism in the United States,” she says. “Having both of those perspectives tells me that being black changes, but you still are ‘The Other’ in every context.”