Voices That Matter

The ASBA “Voices That Matter Campaign” was created to honor voices, emotions and experiences on racial injustice in the United States.
ASBA condemns racism and police brutality against black people. Along with our community, we mourn the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and the endless list of black lives lost as a direct result of racism, white supremacy, and systemic oppression.
Black, brown and other underrepresented voices in our schools must be amplified. This campaign is one opportunity to do this and help our staff and members express themselves and heal through these difficult times.

Brooke Martinez

ASBA Multimedia Communication Specialist

The social injustice in this country is depressing. I have experienced racism many times throughout my life, whether it’s comments from people assuming I like certain types of foods because of how I look or people giving my Caucasian mother awkward looks in the grocery store because she was holding a Mexican little girl’s hand. In 2013, I went with my mother to Arkansas to visit my sick grandmother. We decided to visit a famous town called Mountain View in the Ozark’s, known for its folk music and culture. I was excited to explore and enjoy the company with family I hadn’t seen in a while. I can’t count on my fingers the number of times people stared and gave me dirty looks. I was walking around with my mom’s side of the family, so I was the only “brown” person there. At 20 years old, I learned that even though these people had no clue who I was as a person or even what I was going through at the time with my dying grandmother, they were judging me simply because of how I looked. I felt humiliated and sad. This incident opened my eyes.

Black people in our country, feel these distraught emotions on a daily basis and the situations are worst. It’s not enough to call yourself non-racist. We need to be anti-racist. It’s time to stop being silent and use our voices for change.