BY ANGELA KNEALE: oko_ne
18951 High School period: 1988-1995
My little brother scored extremely high (perfect score) on the math portion of the SAT’s and PSAT's. He competed on piano at an international level at the International Stravinsky Awards at age 9 and qualified for the final round;- that was the first time he attended . He additionally was a very excellent soccer player and track relay team member. He practiced his soccer moves in the backyard for afternoons. My father laughs about how people on the field would call my brother a “gook”, how it would anger my brother and then he would inevitably “take them out”. My brother was recruited by University of Pennsylvania for his academic success and high SAT marks as well as his team participation.
The principle of the 18951 High School (Mr. James Bearrr) made phone calls and succeeded in destroying my brother’s opportunities at U. Penn. He granted undue academic suspensions and fabricated lies about my brother's actions outside of school at a very crucial time for my brother’s academic success. The ACLU became involved briefly; but to no positive avail for my brother. It is known that the ACLU supports the rights of the KKK; however, they have yet to prove that they will support the rights of a minority in a predominantly Caucasian environment. At that time, only I and my brother were Asian in a H.S. population of appx. 500.
My personal experiences were quite different from my brother’s. I was not on the soccer field often, I did not run track, and I spent more time in the Piano world outside of H.S. In part because; I was subject to Mr. Pfiepher’s stark racism in U.S. Cuture; In class he frequently shouted the derogatory JAP comment at me in front of the class while everyone laughed at me, and they would chime in for brownie points. I was humiliated due to my race and mother's national background. My mother told me why my sister died on June 10, 1970; and, what racism was, is, and what white supremicist racists do, and why I was not allowed to spend time with people in the community on my own, unsupervised. My knowledge began from the time I was speaking my first words.
In the 18951 High School, people like Al Rensler and Shell Malachisky and Bickky Wassper were trying to get me to attend hardcore neo-nazi and White Aryan Supremacy concerts with them (aside from trying to make me attend various area churches). I remember once when A. Rensler said, "well why aren’t you going?” My reply was "I’m not white"
She responed with laughter. I left her presence immediately. They considered themselves to be “Born-Again Christians" and spent time with me because they were trying to save my soul. Though they said I was going to hell because of my color. It was racial humiliation that I tolerated nearly every day I attended High School. They were all in the Choir; a choir where I was unpaid for my accompanying time. It was no cost for them to coerce me to do so; and it took away from my academics; they taunted me and made fun of me; and blamed me for anything that went wrong. Though they gave me no credit at a Talent Show based on popularity where an aryan girl named Heidi was the piano portion winner. High School was virtually unbearable. I was brutalized at school; even my senior year; I was given detention systematically because the Schoolbus was tardy on it’s arrival. They said it was my fault that the schoolbus was late. If they didn't have to pick me up it wouldn't have been late. I was fortunate to even graduate. I did receive my diploma. It disgusts me that I had to attend that school. I graduated with the Japanese SERC course that they targeted me for. I am half Japanese descent. The School istrict forced my mother to stop teaching Japanese And speaking Japanese with me ( I wasn’t allowed to read my favorite Japanese story books because my father was an enforcer of the White rule and took them away from me). They did not want me to communicate with my grandparents; Aunts, uncles, and Cousins in Japan. The school district did everything in their power to destroy my sense of family. They made me take a Japanese course with G. Shwaghopher who did well with the course; and then they made a mockery of me because I could only do as well as my classmate in the room. I frequently had nervous breakdowns where I was crying in school; and people would sit and laugh at me and make more taunting fun of me. That was aside from school lunch where the popular boys would make fun of my
Onigiri and
Wakame salad with rice lunches. They all loved to make fun of me.
I have no liking for these ugly, square-headed, fat-headed, or block-headed people.
There is much more that I endured; but the community thinks that it’s funny. I can never be right because they choose to ignore my rights as an individual. To these Caucasian Suburbites it is a joke and simple to constantly abuse those of us who are of color. They are only nice when they know that a parent has money for them. They attempt to blackmail parents and keep their white claws in making minorities here impoverished. I have learned as an adult, I’m 31 now,. That teaching as an independent teacher only lends itself to my demise. The parents take pride in running my business into the ground and not paying for all the time due to me, not volunteering for my studio and other non-profit organizational events, and for the most part; not even treating me as someone who has rights. They gave me an opportunity to try and teach. They see themselves as all knowing due to their race. It disgusts me that I have to put up with such ill remarks. It would not be to my benefit to secure a minority and socially disadvantage grant because the people here are so racist; It costs me a great deal personally to just stay alive. And;- I detest my miserable life here in Bucks County because of the miserable people who think that doing such actions creates a great story for me to write; so I may demonstrate my literacy.
Though, the area has not changed too much in nearly 1 decade of my absence from this place.
Now there are more confederate flags displayed on trucks. There are more instances of Asian middle school exchange students being thrown out on the streets by their American host families in this area.
18951 Elementary School Playground Beatings 1980-1984
18951 Middle School Humiliation & beatings 1984-1986
Photos taken Thursday @2PM at New Hope, PA
