Racism to me at age 7.

Over a period of time, I have been  racially 'targeted' . Some of them hidden whilst others were obvious..

I was  7 or 8, its hard to remember the exact age when you only remember the feeling.

I was going to Mosque weekend school to learn Arabic and Quran. I wanted to go because of my sisters were going plus it was a new experience! Anyway, I was the 2nd Somali (black) girl in the class the other girl sat next to me which was a good thing. We hit it off, now I understand when my dad says we hang around with people like us. But.. then she went home because she wasn't feeling well she left me with a cookie even though I was alone. Have you ever felt that feeling? when you just stick out and you hear the laughter and see the smiles that your not apart of, it sucks!

However, I still had the knack of making friends (I don't know how I did it :/) all of them were Arabs with the same language, the same culture heck! the only thing I have in common with them is that I'm Muslim... even though it weren't obvious I wasn't wearing a scarf.... awkward. It was break-time and my new found friends played outside but then... all I saw was some evil girl with dark features in my opinion she looked like she came from a hole down down below , she had a  mean face I wasn't sure if she always looked like that. Then, when me and my friends well her friends came to her we asked her to join then she said, I will never forget that as long as I die, "I'm not going to play with you because your black" those 10 words will haunt me forever, at the moment she unlayered an insecure side of me that I hate till this day and I'm 15 years old. Then 'my new friend's looked shocked but then left me, I felt so lonely once again... but the difference is I felt so little.

I didn't know racism before that. I didn't know that she could of gone to prison . You want to know why I didn't tell the teacher? ...

Because I thought she was going to agree with her too. Arabs stick together!,  right?

I haven't laid this experience to rest, my sisters say "Get over it!" ... but please how can I? I wanted to bleach my skin for a long time, I wanted to be white! so she can never ever say that she won't play with me because... I'm like her!

Sorry I can't keep writing. I just feel like its happening right now.... Bye :(