These past weeks, our Grade 11 Psychology class was reminded of the ongoing struggles our society faces when dealing with racism and discrimination. Early in the year in our Sociocultural unit, our class discussed the psychological causes and effects of racism, prejudice, and discrimination.

Over the past few weeks, the tragic events in the United States, which rippled across the globe, reminded our class of the importance of reflecting and discussing why these events take place and what they mean for our society at large.

To this end, the Psychology students were asked to create a piece of art or writing to reflect in their own way what has been occurring in our society. Lykke Gowran and Antonia Nobel created a short video with a powerful rendition of Maya Angelou’s poem Equality.

Xavier Carrillo wrote his own short poem titled I Can’t Breathe:

I can’t breathe, but I can see.
If it’s not on a cell phone or a T.V. screen their story goes unseen,
And if it does make it there, it’ll last only a week.
Instagram stories last for twenty-four hours,
Racism and police are around for 365.
I wonder if they’d mind if I live my life today.
I wonder if they’d mind if I walked outside today.
I wonder if they’d mind if the kids played with toys or if I slept tonight.
I can’t breathe but I can see.