Dear Student,

We do not know one another, yet your actions tend to have an effect on me time and time again. I'm that black student who you stared at as I walked into the library with my Afro and my Black Lives Matter shirt on. Or the one who you completely ignored as I attempted to participate in the group discussion in class today. Or the one who you pushed to the side to get to where you needed to go in the union today. Or the one who you stared at in disgust as I blasted my rap music while riding the elevator. I can give about a million other ways in which you have made uncomfortable in just one day alone, but I'll end it here.

Although I will not continue my list, what I will say is this: stop staring at me. My hair may be different than anything you have ever seen and my skin may be darker than yours, but I am still human and would prefer not to be gawked at like an animal in the zoo. Furthermore, me expressing my black pride should not make you uncomfortable and if it does, instead of staring at me, take a step back and reflect on your viewpoints for a minute.

Do not ignore me during class discussions. I know that the media portray me and students who look like me as ignorant and uneducated but that is false. I know way more than could probably ever imagine and by refusing to listen to what I am saying, you are preventing yourself from learning so many great things!

Do not push me to get to where you need to go. There are polite ways to go about reaching your destination and furthermore if I did that to you, I would be called violent, mean and attitudinal. Watch where you are going and if you do happen to bump into me, be polite and say excuse me.

Stop staring at me as I listen to my music. I would not stare at you for listening to country music, so show me the same respect and let me enjoy the music that I love. It may be different but different is not always a bad thing, and you definitely shouldn't gawk at people for having a different musical preference than you. It just isn't logical.

Take a second and think of your favorite person in the world. Now imagine them being stared at like an animal, ignored, pushed around, and generally disrespected. Would you enjoy them being treated that way? Of course not! Just as you wouldn't enjoy seeing someone you love treated that way, black students do not enjoy being that treatment, so please keep that in mind for the next time that you interact with a black student and be mindful of your actions.