Rebecca Turay (United States) recently graduated from Curtis High School in Staten Island, New York and is currently attending Brooklyn College. She is of Sierra Leonean descent. Ms. Turay represents the City University of New York C.S.I. Liberty Partnerships Program and Children’s Aid. In her statement below, Ms. Turay presents her experience of fighting racism through education as a tutor and a student.
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If we only consider peace to come after conflict ends, we limit our chances of building a better and peaceful future. I welcome all of us to brainstorm ways for us to bring peace for ourselves, peace to each other, and peace for the world.
For me, one way to promote peace is to destroy the effects of discrimination through education. I have lived my life through the lens of a Black woman. I’ve experienced prejudices and difficult circumstances. I consider the right to quality education to be an inalienable right. In my experience, many people may hold racist ideas due to ignorance or lack of knowledge. Education can help to challenge racism. In the wake of this pandemic, I have recognized that we have so much to learn from our neighbours, our human family. Education can help us understand our neighbours, both local and global. Education can help us to care for our planet, as we appreciate the value of science to show us what we need to do to prevent further damage to our home, the Earth.
I tutor young children and assist with their literacy skills. My goal is for them to be stronger and independent readers. During the pandemic, my peers and our educators suffered amidst remote learning. For many of the students I tutor, it’s almost as if this year didn’t happen academically. When it comes to education, we cannot afford any lost years. For students including myself, this is part of a crucial period that prepares us for many paths that may follow.
In his founding speech of the Afro-American Unity, Malcolm X said, “Education is an important element in the struggle for human rights. It is the means to help our children and our people rediscover their identity and thereby increase their self-respect. Education is our passport to the future.”
I’ve had the chance to learn about powerful figures like Minnijean Brown-Trickey, a pioneer in racial integration in schools as part of the historic Little Rock Nine and Malala Yousafzai, an inspiring pioneer of gender equality in education around the world, and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. These leaders have shown that transformation of society is possible, through an inclusive and equitable quality education that promotes lifelong learning.
Whether our goals be equality, preservation of human rights, or peace for all, we need to exemplify the importance and the significance of a quality education. I hold steadfast within this cause. Fellow citizens of the Earth, I ask that we all mobilize and work together to learn more, to strive to ensure that all can learn – in this way we can recover better for ourselves, each other, and the planet. Thank you.
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Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The 缅北禁地General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and ceasefire. This?Youth Action for Peace?series brings together voices of university students around the world?sharing the same mission: to celebrate peace by standing up against acts of hate online and offline, and by spreading compassion, kindness, and hope in the face of the pandemic, and as we recover.
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