Room To Be Without Translation | Saniya Cunningham | TEDxYouth@Wilmington

The speaker, "the angry black boy," describes feeling frustrated when white peers confidently stumbled over lyrics to a Kendrick Lamar song, seeing it as a casual tune while he viewed it as a profound synthesis of the black experience. He feels unable to express his anger without confirming stereotypes of aggressive black individuals. He questions why white people can appropriate cultural elements without limits, while he risks being labeled "whitewashed" for enjoying Taylor Swift. "A black girl who is exhausted" highlights the cycle of cherry-picking black culture while denying black students individuality, often leading to negative outcomes. She criticizes the education system's reluctance to discuss institutional racism, watering down history like Ruby Bridges' experiences. She asks why black people must make themselves "digestible" to be heard. Saiia Cunningham, a 10th-grade scholar, suggests listening as the first step towards understanding and growth. She advocates for students to research diverse cultures, recognizing that "black is not a monolith." Finally, she emphasizes that inclusivity sometimes means giving others space to express their ethnic culture without inserting oneself, hoping for unity through understanding.